''Nyceryx nictitans'' is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly 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, but species ar ...

. It is found from

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

. It can be distinguished from other '' Nyceryx'' species by the hindwing upperside, which has an orange base, a dark brown marginal band of even width and the lack of semitransparent spots. There are two or three thin, black, but distinct lines on the underside of the abdomen. Adults are probably on wing year round. The larvae have been recorded feeding on ''

Aspidosperma macrocarpa ''Aspidosperma'' is a genus of flowering plant in the Dogbane family (Apocynaceae), first described as a genus in 1824. It is native to South America, Central America, southern Mexico, and the West Indies. One Central American species of this g ...

''.

Subspecies

*''Nyceryx nictitans nictitans'' (Brazil to Argentina) *''Nyceryx nictitans saturata'' Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (Peru and Bolivia)

References

Nyceryx Moths described in 1875 Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Boisduval Sphingidae of South America {{Dilophonotini-stub