''Pseudococytius'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

hawkmoth 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 ...

s. The single species, ''Pseudococytius beelzebuth'' was placed in '' Cocytius'' for a long time.

Distribution

It is found from

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

and

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

south through

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

Description

The

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

is 115–148 mm. Pseudococytius beelzebuth MHNT CUT 2010 0 362 Guapi-mirim, Estado do Rio, Brazil, female dorsal.jpg, Female dorsal Pseudococytius beelzebuth MHNT CUT 2010 0 362 Guapi-mirim, Estado do Rio, Brazil, female ventral.jpg , Female ventral

Biology

There are at least two generations per year in Costa Rica with adults on wing from January to February and again from July to August. The larvae feed on '' Guatteria diospyroides''.

References

Sphingini Monotypic moth genera Moths described in 1875 Moths of Central America Sphingidae of South America Sphingidae genera {{Sphinginae-stub