''Manduca rustica'', the rustic sphinx, 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 w ...

of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by

Johan Christian Fabricius Johan Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is cons ...

in 1775.

Distribution

It is found in the southern parts of the United States (straying into the northern United States at times), southward through

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and South America to

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Description

Manduca rustica MHNT CUT 2010 0 68 Palenque Mexico Male dorsal.jpg, Male ''Manduca rustica rustica'', dorsal view Manduca rustica MHNT CUT 2010 0 68 Palenque Mexico Male ventral.jpg, Male ''Manduca rustica rustica'', ventral view

Biology

The larvae feed on '' Jasminum'' and ''

Bignonia ''Bignonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae. Its genus and family were named after Jean-Paul Bignon by his protégé Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1694, and the genus was established as part of modern botanical nomenc ...

'' species and other plants of the families

Verbenaceae The Verbenaceae ( ), the verbena family or vervain family, is a family of mainly tropical flowering plants. It contains trees, shrubs, and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell. The ...

, Convolvulaceae and

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

and

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the order ...

. The species is widespread and adaptable, living in varied habitats from

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s to deserts and thriving in urban and disturbed habitat. It can live on many types of native and exotic plants.''Manduca rustica''.
''NatureServe''. 2012.

Subspecies

*''Manduca rustica cortesi'' (Cary, 1963) (Mexico) *''Manduca rustica cubana'' (Wood, 1915) (Cuba, Jamaica) *''Manduca rustica calapagensis'' (Holland, 1889) (Galápagos Islands) *''Manduca rustica harterti'' (Rothschild, 1894) (Lesser Antilles, including Bonaire and St. Lucia) *''Manduca rustica rustica'' (Americas) Manduca rustica calapagensis MHNT CUT 2010 0 408 Isla Santa Cruz, Academy Bay Galapagos Ecuador, female dorsal.jpg, ''Manduca rustica calapagensis'', female, dorsal Manduca rustica calapagensis MHNT CUT 2010 0 408 Isla Santa Cruz, Academy Bay Galapagos Ecuador, female ventral.jpg, ''Manduca rustica calapagensis'', female, ventral Manduca rustica cubana MHNT CUT 2010 0 408 La Habana Cuba, male dorsal.jpg, ''Manduca rustica cubana'' dorsal MHNT Manduca rustica cubana MHNT CUT 2010 0 408 La Habana Cuba, male ventral.jpg, ''Manduca rustica cubana'' ventral MHNT Manduca rustica harterti MHNT CUT 2010 0 68 Neufchâteau Sainte Marie Guadeloupe dorsal.jpg, ''Manduca rustica harterti'', dorsal view Manduca rustica harterti MHNT CUT 2010 0 68 Neufchâteau Sainte Marie Guadeloupe ventral.jpg, ''Manduca rustica harterti'', ventral view

Gallery

Image:Manduca rustica adult female sjh.JPG, Female Image:Manduca rustica diversity sjh.JPG, Variation File:Manduca rustica larva.jpg, Larva File:The Rustic Sphinx Moth.png, Adult

References

External links

*
"Rustic sphinx"
''Featured Creatures''. University of Florida. * Manduca Moths described in 1775 Moths of North America Sphingidae of South America Moths of South America Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius {{Manduca-stub