Cocytius beelzebuth from Rancho Grande, H. Pittier National Park, Venezuela
courtesy of Paolo Mazzei.

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TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Sphinginae, Latreille, [1802] Tribe: Sphingini, Latreille, 1802 Genus: Cocytius Hubner, [1819] ........... Species: beelzebuth (Boisduval, [1875])

DISTRIBUTION:

Cocytius beelzebuth (Wing span: 115 - 148 mm, males much smaller than females)], flies in
Brazil, the specimen type locality, Rio de Janeiro, and in
Nicaragua: Granada, Rio San Juan;
Costa Rica: Puntarenas, Heredia;
south through
VenezuelaAragua, Bolivar, Tachira;
Peru;
Bolivia: La Paz: Murillo, Río Zongo, 750m; and
probably in many other countries in South and Central America. I suspect colombia, Guyana, Suriname and Ecuador.

Cocytius beelzebuth, male, 115mm, Costa Rica,
courtesy of Dan Janzen.

FLIGHT TIMES:

Cocytius beelzebuth adults probably nectar at flowers and fly in at least two broods in Costa Rica, with moths on the wing January-February and again in July-August. This moth comes in to lights much less frequently than other Cocytius species, but both sexes appear. Diogo Luiz reports and April flight in Tingua, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Cocytius beelzebuth, Tingua, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
April 23, 2017, courtesy of Diogo Luiz.

Cocytius beelzebuth female, Caranavi, Nor Yungas, La Paz, Bolivia,
September, 2008, courtesy of Hubert Mayer.

ECLOSION:

Pupae probably wiggle to surface from subterranean chambers just prior to eclosion.

Cocytius beelzebuth female from Costa Rica, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in the males with a pheromone released from a gland at the tip of the abdomen.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Colourful larvae feed on Guatteria diospyroides and probably other members of the Annonaceae family.

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