Erinnyis lassauxii male courtesy of Dan Janzen.

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TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Macroglossinae, Harris, 1839 Tribe: Dilophonotini, Burmeister, 1878 Genus: Erinnyis Hubner, [1819] ........... Species: lassauxii Boisduval, 1859

DISTRIBUTION:

Lassaux's sphinx, Erinnyis lassauxii (Wing span: 3 5/8 - 4 1/8 inches (9.2 - 10.5 cm)), flies in tropical and subtropical areas from
northern Argentina: Salta (405m EB), Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Chaco, Entre Rios, Santa Fe (EB), Misiones, Jujuy, Tucuman;
Bolivia: La Paz, Santa Cruz;
Ecuador: Esmeraldas;
north through Central America, Mexico; Belize: Corozol, Cayo, Orange Walk; Costa Rica and the West Indies to Texas and Arizona. Occasionally strays are taken in southern Florida.

Argentina is the specimen type locality.

The upperside of the forewing is dark brown with gray streaks along the inner margin and a gray patch at the tip of the wing. The upperside of the hindwing is dark brown with varying amounts of dark orange at the base.

Erinnyis ello has a lighter forewing than lassauxii; Erinnyis crameri lacks the stripes on the abdomen found on lassauxii .

Erinnyis lassauxii, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas,
December 19, 2012, courtesy of Kevin McCollum.

FLIGHT TIMES:

Erinnyis lassauxii broods continuously in the tropics.

It is occasionally taken from July-October in Arizona and (December) Texas, and in September in south Florida.

During the night adults nectar at flowers, including bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis). Valerie G. reports them on talayote (Cynanchum racemosum), a milkweed vine, November 7, 2009, at the Zilker Preserve, Austin, Travis County, Texa. The found larva pupated in November and the adult moth emerged on December 19, 2009.

Erinnyis lassauxii fifth instar, Zilker Preserve, Austin, Travis County, Texas,
November 7, 2009, courtesy of Valerie G.

Erinnyis lassauxii fifth instar, Zilker Preserve, Austin, Travis County, Texas,
November 7, 2009, courtesy of Valerie G.

Erinnyis lassauxii pupa, Zilker Preserve, Austin, Travis County, Texas,
November 16, 2009, courtesy of Valerie G.

Erinnyis lassauxii ex pupa, Zilker Preserve, Austin, Travis County, Texas,
December 19, 2009, courtesy of Valerie G.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae formed in loose cocoons spun among surface litter. Eclosions can occur within fourteen days.

SCENTING AND MATING:

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

Erinnyis lassauxii female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Erinnyis lassauxii female, 88mm, Rio Chuchuvi, Esmeraldas, Ecuador,
dark hindwings, courtesy of Vadim Kroutov.

Erinnyis lassauxii female (verso), 88mm, Rio Chuchuvi, Esmeraldas, Ecuador,
dark hindwings, courtesy of Vadim Kroutov.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larvae feed on papaya (Carica papaya) in the Caricaceae family, Manihot esculenta in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), and various plants (Macroscepis obovata) in the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae). Valerie G. reports them on talayote (Cynanchum racemosum) near Austin, Texas.

Erinnyis lassauxii dorsal, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Erinnyis lassauxii lateral, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Larvae are subject to parasitization by Thyreodon apricus in the Ichneumonidae family.

Many thanks also to Tzila "Z" Duenzl who provides the images of Erinnyis lassauxii below.

Erinnyis lassauxii, Horseshoe Bend, Weatherford, Parker County, Texas,
August 30, 2011, courtesy/copyright Tzila "Z" Duenzl.

Erinnyis lassauxii, Horseshoe Bend, Weatherford, Parker County, Texas,
August 30, 2011, courtesy/copyright Tzila "Z" Duenzl.

Z writes, "Bill, a "Ryan" on Bugguide recommended I get in touch with you concerning a caterpillar I found today, which he says is an Erinnyis lassauxii.

"He says you may be interested in my pics of it for your site, so I am getting in touch with you. You can see the two pics I posted to Bugguide for ID. I have about thirty pics I of it. It is the most unusual caterpillar I have seen here. It was on a large Fringed Twinevine next to the runway. I am wondering if the white protuberances on its head would be from ingesting the sap of the Twinvine, and would make it poisonous."

Tzila "Z" Duenzl

I reply, "Z, Please let me know if you (sighting location) are in Hill County or Parker County. I do not know what causes the white protuberances. You are at about northern limits of its range in Texas. Thanks. Very nice photos. I need the county so I know what section to post it in. Yes, it is Erinnyis lassauxii.

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