''Manduca diffissa'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths ( Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, ...

first described by

Arthur Gardiner Butler Arthur Gardiner Butler F.L.S., F.Z.S. (27 June 1844 – 28 May 1925) was an English entomologist, arachnologist and ornithologist. He worked at the British Museum on the taxonomy of birds, insects, and spiders. Biography Arthur Gardiner ...

in 1871. It is known from most of South America.

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

is 100–200 mm. Manduca diffissa tropicalis MHNT CUT 2010 0 105 Henri Pittier National Park 1100m female dorsal.jpg, Female, dorsal view Manduca diffissa tropicalis MHNT CUT 2010 0 105 Henri Pittier National Park 1100m female ventral.jpg, Female, ventral view

Biology

Adult moths have been recorded from July to August and from September to December.

Subspecies

*''Manduca diffissa diffissa'' (

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some al ...

, 1871) (Argentina and Uruguay) *''Manduca diffissa mesosa'' (

Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red sign", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by signs ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Ri ...

, 1916) (Argentina and Bolivia) *''Manduca diffissa petuniae'' ( Boisduval, 1875) (south-eastern Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia) *''Manduca diffissa tropicalis'' (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903) (Guyana, French Guiana, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil and Nicaragua) *''Manduca diffissa zischkai'' (Kernbach, 1952) (Bolivia) Manduca diffissa mesosa MHNT CUT 2010 462 - Iguazú Paraná Brazil - Male dorsal.jpg, ''Manduca diffissa mesosa''♂ Manduca diffissa mesosa MHNT CUT 2010 462 - Iguazú Paraná Brazil - Male ventral.jpg, ''Manduca diffissa mesosa''♂ △ Manduca diffissa petuniae MHNT CUT 2010 461 - Itatiayan Brazil - Male dorsal.jpg, ''Manduca diffissa petuniae'' ♂ Manduca diffissa petuniae MHNT CUT 2010 461 - Itatiayan Brazil - Male ventral.jpg, ''Manduca diffissa petuniae'' ♂ △ Manduca diffissa petuniae MHNT CUT 2010 461 - Itatiayan Brazil - Female dorsal.jpg, ''Manduca diffissa petuniae'' ♀ Manduca diffissa petuniae MHNT CUT 2010 461 - Itatiayan Brazil - Female ventral.jpg, ''Manduca diffissa petuniae'' ♀ △ Manduca diffissa zischkai MHNT CUT 2010 0 461 - Cochabamba Bolivia - Male dorsal.jpg, ''Manduca diffissa zischkai'' ♂ Manduca diffissa zischkai MHNT CUT 2010 0 461 - Cochabamba Bolivia - Male ventral.jpg, ''Manduca diffissa zischkai'' ♂ △

References

D Moths of South America Moths described in 1871 Taxa named by Arthur Gardiner Butler {{Manduca-stub