Enyo taedium male courtesy of Dan Janzen.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Macroglossinae, Harris, 1839 Tribe: Dilophonotini, Burmeister, 1878 Genus: Enyo Hubner, [1819] ........... Species: taedium Schaus, 1890

MIDI MUSIC .....It's a Wonderful World..... copyright C. Odenkirk ON.OFF <bgsound src="world.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>

DISTRIBUTION:

Enyo taedium (wingspan approx. 57 mm) flies in
Mexico: Jalapa; and
Belize: Cayo; south to at least
Costa Rica and Panama. It has also been taken in
Colombia;
northern Venezuela: Aragua;
Ecuador; and
Brazil.

"One of the four species of Enyo with a forewing androconial organ in the males.Forewing shape and venation as in Enyo gorgon but: androconial organ narrower, costa not as convex; crossveins m1-m2 and m2-m3 both straight and not displaced; lower angle of discal cell obtuse and more proximal than the upper angle, crossvein m2-m3 about half the length of m3-cu1a; M2 curved at base.

"Forewing upperside similar to Enyo gorgon but ground colour essentially unicolorous, lacking the division into a paler anterior half and darker posterior half and the triangular dark brown postmedian patch. "Female Forewing upperside almost identical to Enyo gorgon, antemedian line rather more convex on 1A+2A." CATE

FLIGHT TIMES:

Enyo taedium flies in May in Costa Rica and is one of the less common species found there.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae formed in loose cocoons in shallow underground burrows.

Enyo taedium female courtesy of John Vriesi.

SCENTING AND MATING:

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

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larvae probably feed on Vitus tiliifolia and other members of the Vitaceae family: Vitis, Cissus rhombifolia, Ampelopsis. Tetracera volubilis, Curatella americana, Tetracera hydrophila and Doliocarpus multiflorus of the Dilleniaceae family likely also serves as a host, as does Ludwigia of the Onagraceae.

The "horn" is very long in early instars and head is relatively large. As the larva matures, the body develops rapidly, leaving the head relatively small and the "horn" relatively short.

The pupa is dark and smooth with a sharp cremaster.

I am not sure of the identification of the following larva and pupa as Enyo cavifer cavifer. I do not see the rather prominent dorso-lateral line on any of the images on Dan Janzen's website for Enyo cavifer cavifer in Costa Rica. Perhaps these images are of Enyo taedium? Enyo taedium would be my (Bill Oehlke's) first guess.

Enyo taedium fifth instar, prepupation, Belize,
courtesy of Ben Trott.

As I was processing the images of the larva above, I was struck by the resemblance in shape and colour of the anal horn to the juncture of host plant tendrils to vine stems.

Enyo taedium fifth instar anal horn, prepupation, Belize,
courtesy of Ben Trott.

Enyo taedium fifth instar anal horn, prepupation, Belize,
courtesy of Ben Trott.

Enyo taedium fifth instar anal horn, prepupation, Belize,
courtesy of Ben Trott.

Enyo taedium pupa, Belize, courtesy of Ben Trott.

Enyo taedium pupa, Belize, courtesy of Ben Trott.

Return to Sphingidae Index
Return to Dilophonotini Tribe