Sphinx ligustri

"Privet hawk moth" redirects here. For the other moth with this common name, see Psilogramma menephron.

Privet hawk moth
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Sphinx
Species:	S. ligustri
Binomial name
Sphinx ligustri Linnaeus, 1758[1]
Synonyms
Sphinx chishimensis Matsumura, 1929 Sphinx spiraeae Esper, 1800 Sphinx ligustri albescens Tutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri amurensis Oberthür, 1886 Sphinx ligustri brunnea Tutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri brunnescens (Lempke, 1959) Sphinx ligustri cingulata (Lempke, 1964) Sphinx ligustri eichleri Eitschberger, Danner & Surholt, 1992 Sphinx ligustri fraxini Dannehl, 1925 Sphinx ligustri grisea (Closs, 1917) Sphinx ligustri incerta Tutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri intermedia Tutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri lutescens Tutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri nisseni Rothschild & Jordan, 1916 Sphinx ligustri obscura Tutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri pallida Tutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri perversa Gehlen, 1928 Sphinx ligustri postrufescens (Lempke, 1959) Sphinx ligustri rosacea Rebel, 1910 Sphinx ligustri seydeli Debauche, 1934 Sphinx ligustri subpallida Tutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri typica Tutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri unifasciata Gschwandner, 1912 Sphinx ligustri weryi Rungs, 1977 Sphinx ligustri zolotuhini Eitschberger & Lukhtanov, 1996

Sphinx ligustri, the privet hawk moth, is a moth found in most of the Palearctic realm. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Description

It has a 12 centimetres (4.7 in) wingspan (generally deflexed at rest), and is found in urban areas, forests and woodlands.

The male privet hawk moth can make a hissing sound, if disturbed, by rubbing together a set of scales and spines at the end of its abdomen.[2]

The larvae are usually found between July and August: and bury themselves in the earth when preparing to become a pupa. They then fly in the following June.[3]

Diet

As both its common name and specific name - ligustri being derived from the Latin ligustrum, 'privet' - describes, the caterpillars feed on privets, as well as ash trees, lilacs, jasmine, and a number of other plants.

Gallery

• 
  Female, dorsal side
• 
  Female, ventral side
• 
  Male, dorsal side
• 
  Male, ventral side

• 
  Caterpillar
• 
  Pupating
• 
  Pupa
• 
  Pupa, caterpillar, and adult

References

1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
2. "Privet Hawk-moth – Natural Lizard". 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
3. Donovan, Edward (1792). The Natural History of British Insects: Explaining Them in Their Several States, With the Periods of Their Transformations, Their Food, Economy, &c. Together With the History of Such Minute Insects As Require Investigation by the Microscope: The Whole Illustrated by Coloured Figures, Designed and Executed from Living Specimens. London. p. 79.

External links

• Media related to Sphinx ligustri at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Sphinx ligustri at Wikispecies
• "69.006 BF1976 Privet Hawk-moth Sphinx ligustri Linnaeus, 1758". UKMoths. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
• Pittaway, A. R. (2018). "Sphinx Linnaeus, 1758". Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
• "06832 Sphinx ligustri Linnaeus, 1758 - Ligusterschwärmer". Lepiforum e.V. Retrieved December 13, 2018.