Isognathus excelsior

Isognathus excelsior is a moth of the family Sphingidae.

Isognathus excelsior
Isognathus excelsior ♂
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Isognathus
Species:
I. excelsior
Binomial name
Isognathus excelsior
(Boisduval, 1875)[1]
Synonyms
  • Anceryx excelsior Boisduval, 1875

Distribution

It is known from Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador to north-western Brazil.[2]

Description

It can be distinguished from all other Isognathus species by the pure white underside to the abdomen with conspicuous paired black spots on each segment.

  • Isognathus excelsior ♂
  • Isognathus excelsior ♂ △
  • Isognathus excelsior ♀
  • Isognathus excelsior ♀ △

Biology

There are probably multiple generations per year.

The larvae probably feed on Apocynaceae species. They have long tails and are very colourful, suggesting they are unpalatable to birds.

References
  1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-11. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  2. "Silkmoths". Silkmoths.bizland.com. 2011-05-12. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-10-19.


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