Rayetta’s Lepidoptera - Ray and the Sphingids

It’s me, Ray, Sun God Trainee, fluffing up my sister’s CB Lepidoptera documentation. Here’s a moth, or muth, I chanced upon while it was relatively inert. Er. This one’s a sphingid, all righty then, but which one. So I took its picture, then headed back to the laboratory to compare the picture I took to Dr. Holland’s plates and spells.

This moth, or muth, is most similar in appearance to two of Dr. Holland’s moths, or muths. These two are Protoparce sexta and Protoparce occulta = carolina. According to Dr. Holland, white spots dorsally on the abdomen were considered an important key character delineating these taxa in those days. My sphingid lacks white spots on the abdomen.

Dr. Holland also apparently examined the tongues of various members of the genus Protoparce. The tongue of members of this genus, Protoparce, is, in both sexes, at least as long as the body. So these Protoparce moths, or muths, are likely capable of licking out the very deepest of corolla throats or bottoms in these parts. Like for example, this Protoparce could easily stick its tongue all the way down a Bignonia radicans floral tube.

The caterpillar of this moth, or muth, is one of the familiar yet unpopular tomato hornworms.