Elegant Sphinx - Hodges#7805
Sphinx perelegans
This record describes Sphinx perelegans (species). Recorded family: Sphingidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
The larva has a shield on the first thoracic segment, which is of the same color as the body and which forms a tight-fitting hood over the vertex of the head. This hides a pair of glossy black spots on top of the head, which are revealed if the animal is disturbed. The eye-like appearance of these is enhanced by pale purple intersegmental cuticle behind the head. The full-grown larvae also bite. Comment by Bill Oehlke.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Bombycoidea
- Family
- Sphingidae (Sphinx Moths)
- Subfamily
- Sphinginae
- Tribe
- Sphingini
- Genus
- Sphinx
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Sphinx perelegans. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Ecological role of the group
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Elegant Sphinx - Hodges#7805 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Cotinis; Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset , Chuck Entz