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

. The species was first described by

Johan Christian Fabricius Johann 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 co ...

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, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

and South America to

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

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 a variety of plants including ''

Jasminum Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wide ...

'', ''

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 nomen ...

'' and ''

Chilopsis ''Chilopsis'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants containing the single species ''Chilopsis linearis''. It is known commonly as desert willow

''. Larvae have been recorded on plants from a variety of families, including

Bignoniaceae Bignoniaceae () is a Family (biology), family of flowering plants in the Order (biology), order Lamiales commonly known as the bignonias or trumpet vines.Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. ''Flowering Plant ...

Oleaceae Oleaceae, also known as the olive family or sometimes the lilac family, is a taxonomic family of flowering shrubs, trees, and a few lianas in the order Lamiales. It presently comprises 28 genera, one of which is recently extinct.Peter S. Gree ...

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. T ...

Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae (), commonly called the bindweed, bindweeds or morning glory, morning glories, is a Family (biology), family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, sh ...

and

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), 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 (herb), ba ...

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

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

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 Central America Sphingidae of South America Lepidoptera of Mexico Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius {{Manduca-stub