Isognathus australis

Isognathus australis
B. P. Clark, 1917

Isognathus australis, male: 70 mm, January,
Santa Leopoldina, Tirol, 600-800 m, Espírito Santo, Brazil
courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

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: Isognathus G. Felder & R. Felder, 1862 ...........
Species: australis B. P. Clark, 1917

DISTRIBUTION:

Isognathus australis (Wing span: males: 70mm; females larger than males), flies in northeastern Brazil (specimen type locality) where it is endemic.

FLIGHT TIMES:

There are probably several flights throughout the year. The male depicted above was taken in January.

ECLOSION:

Moths emerge from pupae in thin-walled cocoons under leaf litter.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in the males with a pheromone released from a gland at the tip of the abdomen. Adults nectar at flowers, including petunia.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Females probably lay eggs on Frangipani (Plumeria species).

Larvae pupate in cocoons spun amongst leaf litter.

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