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

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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 north through Central America, Mexico, 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 .

FLIGHT TIMES:

Erinnyis lassauxii broods continuously in the tropics.

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

During the night adults nectar at flowers, including bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis).

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.

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).

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.

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