Xylophanes neoptolemus courtesy of Dan Janzen.

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TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Macroglossinae, Harris, 1839 Tribe: Macroglossini, Harris, 1839 Genus: Xylophanes Hubner [1819] ........... Species: neoptolemus (Cramer, 1782)

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DISTRIBUTION:

Xylophanes neoptolemus moths (wingspan: 76 - 82 mm) fly from Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Surinam to Venezuela (Surinam is given as the specimen type locality.).

They are also recorded in much of northwestern Brazil and are probably present Chaerocampa trilineata Walker, 1864, Venezuela, is the same as Xylophanes neoptolemus neoptolemus.

Xylophanes neoptolemus male, courtesy of Hubert Mayer copyright.

This moth is quite similar to Xylophanes loelia and Xylophanes libya but differs from both by the deeper red coloration of the median band of the hindwing upperside. The mesothorax and metathorax have a pale grey medial band that continues onto the abdomen as a pair of thin lines, enclosing a darker olive-green or brown median line. These three lines more distinct than in Xylophanes loelia and Xylophanes libya, and the underside of wings is more red than in thiose two species.

The first fw postmedian line is narrow and continuous from inner margin to apex, a little less oblique than in Xylophanes loelia, but more so than in Xylophanes libya. The fourth postmedian line is also narrow and continuous (not formed from as series of vein dots as in Xylophanes libya and Xylophanes loelia). The region between the first and fourth postmedian lines is distinctly yellow, contrasting with the pinkish coloration of the rest of the wing. The black subapical dot is usually very small. The submarginal lines form a sharp angle anterior to M3 (as in Xylophanes libya).

The hw upperside median band is bright red, broader than in Xylophanes loelia and Xylophanes libya, tapering towards and reaching, or almost reaching, the costa. The outer margin of the median band is convex and more distinct than in Xylophanes loelia. The ventral hw am and pm bands are continuous (as in Xylophanes loelia). The marginal band is not interrupted, but is dentate between M2 and M3. There is no marginal spot between Sc+R and Rs. CATE.

FLIGHT TIMES:

Xylophanes neoptolemus adults fly all year in Costa Rica.

ECLOSION:

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

Xylophanes neoptolemus female 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. Males come in to lights very readily, but females are seldom taken in that way.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

The snake-like larva has a head and the three thoracic segments which may be retracted into abdominal segment 1, which is swollen and adorned with a pair of light-ringed grey eye-spots.

Images courtesy of Dan Janzen.

In Costa Rica, Dan Janzen reports larvae on Ludwigia in the Onagraceae family.

Moths emerge about four weeks after pupation.

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The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

Jean Marie Cadiou writes, "When I say "Xylophanes" in English I pronounce it something like "Zailophanees", with the emphasis on the "o". The French pronounce it differently, something like "Kzeelophaness" with no emphasis, and the Germans yet in a different way..."

"Xylophanes" sounds like it is from Greek mythology.

The species name, "Neoptolemus" is from Greek mythology. Neoptolemus, also called Pyrrhus, was the only son of Achilles and grandson of Peleus. Neoptolemus was a young, cruel and ferocious warrior who later became king of Epirus and was finally murdered in Apollo's temple at Delphi.

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