Sphinx sequoiae
Species of moth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sphinx sequoiae, the sequoia sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found in the United States from Oregon south through California, Nevada, and south-eastern Utah to Arizona and further south into Mexico's northern Baja California.[2] It is particularly common in juniper and cedar forests, like those east of the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest.[3]
| Sequoia sphinx | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sphinx sequoiae ♂ | |
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| Sphinx sequoiae ♂ △ | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Sphingidae |
| Genus: | Sphinx |
| Species: | S. sequoiae |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphinx sequoiae | |
| Synonyms | |
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The species was first identified by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1868.[2][4]
Description
The wingspan of the sequoia sphinx is 48–68 mm, with a forewing length of 24–26 mm. This makes it the smallest species of its genus other than Sphinx dollii, for which it is sometimes confused though they inhabit different regions.[3][5] It has ash-gray, pointed forewings with several horizontal black dashes; its hindwings are a monotone ash-gray. The thorax and abdomen are likewise gray, and it has a white-and-brown checkered fringe.[3] There is a single generation of adult moths per year which flies between May and August.[5][6] Adults are nocturnal, and are attracted to light.[3] They feed on nectar from the flowers of western chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) and California buckeye (Aesculus californica).[7]
The larvae are green with white, red-brown, and yellow-brown spots; they have a caudal horn that is short, blunt, and yellow-tipped, and white, black-rimmed spiracles.[5] They are hosted by the California juniper (Juniperus californica), Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), and California incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens).[6] Sphinx sequoiae eggs are roughly 2 mm in length and width, and have a light, bluish-green colour.[8]
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