Biology:Amorpha juglandis

From HandWiki
(Redirected from Biology:Amorpha (moth))
Short description: Species of moth

Walnut sphinx

Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Tribe: Mimatini
Genus: Amorpha
J. Hübner, 1809
Species:
A. juglandis
Binomial name
Amorpha juglandis
Synonyms[2]
  • Generic
    • Cressonia Grote & Robinson, 1865
  • Specific
    • Sphinx juglandis J. E. Smith, 1797
    • Cressonia juglandis (J.E. Smith, 1797)
    • Laothoe juglandis (J.E. Smith, 1797)
    • Sphinx instibilis Martyn, 1797
    • Cressonia hyperbola Slosson, 1890
    • Cressonia robinsonii Butler, 1876
    • Smerinthus pallens Strecker, 1873
    • Cressonia juglandis subsp. alpina Clark, 1927
    • Cressonia juglandis subsp. manitobae Clark, 1930

Amorpha juglandis, the walnut sphinx, is the only species in the monotypic moth genus Amorpha, which is in the family Sphingidae, erected by Jacob Hübner in 1809. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797.

Distribution

It is native to North America, where it is distributed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States.

Description

The wingspan is 45–75 mm.

  • Female
    Female
  • Female underside
    Female underside
  • Male
    Male
  • Male underside
    Male underside

Biology

The adult moth is nocturnal, active mainly during the early hours of the night.[3]

The caterpillar feeds on alder (Alnus), hickory (Carya), hazelnut (Corylus), beech (Fagus), walnut (Juglans), and hop-hornbeam (Ostrya) species. When attacked by a bird, the caterpillar produces a high-pitched whistle by expelling air from pairs of spiracles in its abdomen. This whistle is similar to the alarm signal produced by various bird species. One group of researchers in Montana hypothesized that this is a form of mimicry that functions as an antipredator adaptation to startle the bird, causing them to potentially reject the caterpillar.[4]

References

  1. ↑ NatureServe (2 August 2024). "Amorpha juglandis". Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.119905/Amorpha_juglandis. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Amorpha juglandis (Smith, J.E., 1797)". https://sphingidae.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/481. 
  3. ↑ Fullard, James H.; Napoleone, Nadia (2001). "Diel flight periodicity and the evolution of auditory defences in the Macrolepidoptera". Animal Behaviour 62 (2): 349. doi:10.1006/anbe.2001.1753. 
  4. ↑ Lindsay, Jessica (2015). "Why do Caterpillars Whistle? Acoustic Mimicry of Bird Alarm Calls in the Amorpha juglandis Caterpillar". Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts: 60. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/utpp/60. 

Further reading

  • Bura, V. L.; Rohwer, V. G.; Martin, P. R.; Yack, J. E. (2010). "Whistling in caterpillars (Amorpha juglandis, Bombycoidea): Sound-producing mechanism and function". Journal of Experimental Biology 214 (Pt 1): 30–7. doi:10.1242/jeb.046805. PMID 21147966. 
  • Knight, K. (2010). "Whistling Caterpillars Startle Birds". Journal of Experimental Biology 214 (Pt 14): ii. doi:10.1242/jeb.054155. PMID 21834205. 

Wikidata ☰ {{{from}}} entry



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Biology:Amorpha_juglandis&oldid=4488886"