''Smerinthus saliceti'', the Salicet 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 ...

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, ...

. The species was first described by

Jean Baptiste Boisduval Jean Baptiste Alphonse Déchauffour de Boisduval (24 June 1799 – 30 December 1879) was a French lepidopterist, botanist, and physician. He was one of the most celebrated lepidopterists of France, and was the co-founder of the Société entom ...

in 1875.

Distribution

It is found in valleys and along streamsides from

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...

north to western

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, southern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

and extreme southern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

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 67–89 mm. The forewing outer margin is wavy and the upperside of the forewing is gray brown with distinct dark and light bands. The upperside of the hindwing is mostly red with a yellow tanned outer margin and a blue spot which is usually divided by a V-shaped black line. Smerinthus saliceti MHNT CUT 2010 0 493 Phoenix Co, Arizona, male dorsal.jpg, ♂ Smerinthus saliceti MHNT CUT 2010 0 493 Phoenix Co, Arizona, male ventral.jpg, ♂ △ Smerinthus saliceti MHNT CUT 2010 0 493 Southwestern Ressarch Station, Chiricahua Mts., Cochise Co Arizona USA female dorsal.jpg, ♀ Smerinthus saliceti MHNT CUT 2010 0 493 Southwestern Ressarch Station, Chiricahua Mts., Cochise Co Arizona USA female ventral.jpg, ♀ △

Biology

Adults are on wing from April to September, probably in two generations. The larvae feed on ''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

'' and ''

Populus ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

'' species. There are two color morphs, pale green and lime green.

References

External links

Salicet Sphinx
''Moths of America'' Smerinthus Moths of North America Moths of Central America Fauna of the Colorado Desert Fauna of the Sonoran Desert Moths described in 1875 {{Smerinthini-stub