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Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu JAMUNA DEVI.S1 and K

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Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu JAMUNA DEVI.S1 and K Trends in Biosciences 8(1), Print : ISSN 0974-8431, 13-16, 2015 Studies on the Survey and Life History of Hawk Moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu JAMUNA DEVI.S1 AND K. RAMARAJU2 Department of Agricultural Entomology, Centre for Plant Protection Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641 003 email : [email protected], [email protected] ABSTRACT morphological features required to identify this moth at any life stage. Field surveys were conducted to study the various life stages of hawk moths from different locations in MATERIAL AND METHODS Coimbatore. Sphingid larvae are easily recognized by their fleshy caudal horn on eighth abdominal Survey was conducted in Coimbatore district segment and called as horn worm. They pupate in the (11°00'N and 78° 00' E) to collect the life stages soil or in loose leaf litter. Adults have a protruding of hawk moths from various host plants during head with very distinct large eyes, small to large size, 2012-13 and 2013-2014 respectively. This district fore wings long, narrow and pointed, hind wings short is located in western ghats of Tamil Nadu and and triangular shaped. Since, the proboscis is very blessed with rich bio-diversity. The collection of long they act as pollinator in some crops. In this article, adult hawk moths was made with the help of external morphological features of the egg, larva, pupa mercury vapour light trap (160 watt) during night and the adult hawk moths and their behavior are time and aerial net during daytime. Egg and larvae described. of sphingids collected from various host plants were reared in laboratory for further observation. Key words Sphingidae, Hawkmoth, life stages, Field collected moths were killed by using ethyl morphological features acetate in the killing jar. The collected specimens were pinned and preserved at Insect Biosystematics Sphingidae is a family of moths commonly laboratory, Department of Agricultural Entomology, referred to as hawk moths or sphinx moths which Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore. comprise about 200 genera and 1300 species (Kitching and Cadiou, 2000). They are distributed RESULTS AND DISCUSSION throughout the world, except Antarctica and Indian Sphingidae comprising of 207 species Greenland (More et al. 2005). Their streamlined in 61 genera under three subfamilies from seven shape, narrow wings and rapid flight are reminiscent tribes. A total of 25 hawkmoth species collected of hawks, hence the name “hawkmoth”. Also, during survey were presented in table 1. The because of their ability to hover at flowers while external morphological features of larva, head, feeding like a hummingbird, the common name mandible, crochets, pupa and adult wings of “hummingbird moth” is also used. Because of their Sphingidae are provided in Plate 1 (Figs. A-G). size and vivid colour patterns both as larvae (caterpillars) and adults the hawkmoths are often Egg perceived as charismatic insects by humans The sphingids lay eggs singly on the upper (Matyot, 2005). Like all other lepidopterans, surface of the leaflets. Eggs are spherical to oval hawkmoths are holometabolus with egg, larval, and size varies from 1 to 3 mm in diameter. They pupal and adult stages, each stage is distinctly are whitish in colour when laid and turns yellow or marked in the life cycle. (Rothschild and Jordan, green more rarely brown at maturity. 1903). Most of the larval stages of hawk moths noted in South India are plant feeders and some of Larva them such as Acherontia, Herse, Hippotion, The sphingid larva is cylindrical in shape and Theretra and Daphnis are plant pests of some develops through five instars. Young larvae are economic importance (Ayyar, 1938). As adult moths yellowish-white but turn green with white diagonal most of the sphingids are harmless or helpful. markings on each side of abdominal segments. Last Hence, the present study provides some of the basic instar larvae are large, averaging about 8 cm in 1 4 Trends in Biosciences 8 (1), 2015 Plate 1 length. The caterpillar head either rounded or striking characteristic of these larvae is the presence triangular in shape and it consists of two lobes of a thick pointed structure or ‘horn’ projecting together with the mouth parts. The larva has three backward from the top of the last abdominal segmented antenna. The basal segment is the segment. thickest and is usually equal in length to the third; Larva usually polypodus nature with five pair the second segment is shorter and is of less diameter of prolegs (4 abdominal plus 1 anal prolegs) and than the basal segment, the third is the thinnest three pair of thoracic legs. The anal prologs are which has at its tip two bristles with unequal length. laterally flattened. Base of the each proleg, crochets A pair of spiracles presents on each segments of of two lengths are arranged in series paralleling the T1 and A1 to A8. These spiracles are always oval body axis. This arrangement is known as in shape with a central longitudinal slit. The most DEVI and RAMARAJU, Studies on the Survey and Life History of Hawk Moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) 1 5 Table 1. List of hawkmoth species (Lepidoptera:Sphingidae) recorded during survey Subfamily Tribe Name of the species Common name Acherontia lachesis (Fabricius, Greater death’s head hawkmoth 1798) Acherontiini Acherontia styx (Westwood, 1848) Lesser death’s head hawkmoth Sphinginae Agrius convolvuli (Linnaeus, 1758) Convolvulus hawkmoth Psilogrmma menephron (Cramer, Large brown hawkmoth Sphingini 1780) Psilogrmma increta (Walker, 1864) Plain grey hawkmoth Sphingulini Dolbina inexacta (Walker, 1856) Common grizzled hawkmoth Ambulyx placida (Moore, 1888) Plain gliding hawkmoth Ambulycini Ambulyx subocellata (Felder, 1874) Cinnamon gliding hawkmoth Smerinthinae Clanis phalaris (Cramer, 1777) Common velvet hawkmoth Marumba dyras (Walker, 1856) Dull swirled hawkmoth Smerinthini Marumba nympha (Rothschild Chestnut swirled hawkmoth &Jordan, 1903) Dilophonotini Cephonodes hylas (Linnaeus, 1771) Common bumble bee hawkmoth Daphnis nerii (Linnaeus, 1758) Oleander hawkmoth Silver-striped hawk moth / Vine Hippotion celerio (Linnaeus, 1758) hawkmoth Hippotion echeclus (Boisduval, Black based striated hawkmoth 1875) Hippotion rosetta (Swinhow, 1892) Swinhoe’s striated hawkmoth Hippotion velox (Fabricius, 1793) Dark striated hawkmoth Macroglossum belis (Linnaeus, 1758 Common humming bird hawkmoth Macroglossinae Macroglossini Macroglossum gyrans (Walker, Striated humming bird hawkmoth 1856) Nephele hespera (Fabricius, 1775) Crepiscular hawkmoth Pergesa acteus (Cramer, 1779) Green pergesa hawkmoth Theretra clotho (Drury, 1773) Common hunter hawkmoth Theretra gnoma (Fabricius, 1793) Faintly-marked hunter hawkmoth Orange sided hunter hawkmoth/ Yam Theretra nessus (Drury, 1773) hawkmoth Theretra alecto (Linnaeus, 1758) Levant hunter hawkmoth (*Common names were followed as per catalogue given by Kitching et al., 2012) “biordinal”. Setae are inconspicuous except above Pupa prologs. Late instar larvae of hawk moth usually dig Larval behavior holes in the soil for pupation or in loose leaf litter. The large brown to reddish-brown pupae (45-60 Young sphingid caterpillars start feeding in the mm long) possess a pronounced hook, free middle of the blade, leaving telltale holes in the leaf. proboscis, while some others do not. This free The large, elongate fecal pellets, with six deep proboscis is in the form of tube projecting from grooves often reveal their whereabouts. Many the front of the head and bending backwards thrash violently from side to side when disturbed. towards the venter, the closed end being bulbous Bernays Janzen (1988) examined the mandibular to allow of the tongue turning back without too morphology of sphingid moths, in that sphingids sharp a bend. It is found in some of the genera of tor and crushed the food because mandibles of the tribes Acherontiiini and Sphingini of the these caterpillars were long, toothed and ridged in subfamily Acherontiinae (Bell and Scott, 1937). a variety of complex ways. 1 6 Trends in Biosciences 8 (1), 2015 Adult ACKNOWLEDGEMENT When adult emerges, the wings are wet and The authors are grateful to Dr.V.V. limp. It takes about half an hour to fill the veins Ramamurthy, Division of Entomology, IARI, New with haemolymph and to dry and harden the wings Delhi for encouraging this work and the ICAR before flight. The adult sphingids has a stout body network project on Insect Biosystematics for with the abdomen uniformly tapers towards the funding the project. The authors also thank the staff end. of Insect Biosystematics Laboratory, Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural Wing morphology University, Coimbatore for their constant help in Wings are normally scaled, but some species course of study. have only a very small amount of scaling with the remainder of the wing area being membranous. The LITERATURE CITED forewing is narrow and tapers to a point, and the Ayyar, R. 1938. The Economic importance of horn worms length is at least two times (but not greater than (Sphindidae) with special reference to South India. The four times) the width. The outer margin is either Madras Agricultural Journal, 26(2): 66-68. scalloped or smooth. At rest, the wings are tented Bell, T.R.D. and Scott, F.B. 1937. The Fauna of British over the body. Venation of the wing is also used to India, Taylor and Francis Ltd. London Moths 5: 1-533. identify some species of sphingids. In hind wing, Bernays, E.A. and Janzen, D.H. 1988. Saturnid and Sphingid vein R1 crosses to Sc and R1 near the middle of caterpillars: Two ways to eat leaves, Ecology, 69(4): the cell. Thus the lack of a base for veins M1 and 1153-1160. R1 serves to characterize the Sphingidae. Garrett, A. 1995. The pollination biology of papaya (Carica papaya L.) in Central Queensland. PhD thesis, Central Sex differentiation Queensland University, Rockhampton, Australia. The abdomen is usually heavier and thicker Heppner, J.B. 1998. Classification of Lepidoptera. Part 1. in the female than in the male.
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