New Host and County Records, with a breeding range extension for Protambulyx strigilis (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)
Abstract: Protambulyx strigilis (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae: Smerinthinae) is a hawk moth distributed throughout the Neotropics and Florida. The...
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New Host and County Records, with a breeding range extension for Protambulyx strigilis (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)
Abstract: Protambulyx strigilis (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae: Smerinthinae) is a hawk moth distributed throughout the Neotropics and Florida. The larvae are known to feed on many plants in the Anacardiaceae and several in the Simaroubaceae. We discuss and summarize the breeding range for this species in Florida, adding an expansion and a county record, review the hostplants used in southern Florida, and provide a new hostplant record: Rhus copallinum (Anacardiaceae). We photographically illustrate several larval color morphs of this species, including previously unrecognized forms, as well as introduce hypotheses as to why these forms exist in the Smerinthinae and in other Sphingidae.
Keywords: Lepidoptera, Sphingidae, Hostplant, Breeding, Range expansion, Protambulyx strigilis, Color forms
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