Newsletter n ° 2 How to determine a Hyles of France

Newsletter n ° 2

→Comment determine a Hyles of France

 →How to determined has French Hyles

 

Some Hyles are really easy to determine. Hyles vespertilio, Hyles livornica, Hyles gallii are (in France) virtually constant, with no (or little) variations on the habitus. Some are smaller, longer blades, others larger, but it comes here as environmental variations (abundance and quality of the food, more or less dry climate…),

Some are really easy to determined moths Hyles. Hyles vespertilio, Hyles livornica, Hyles gallii are (in France) almost constant, showing no. (gold so few) variation in the pattern. Some are smaller and paler, some are larger, but this is just environmental influence (abundance and quality of food, dry weather or wet…) 

In this genre is a complex of species, subspecies (and I don't mean forms) strongly related, with a high level of polymorphism. It is the complex of Hyles euphorbiae. In France, we have only two real members of this complex, Hyles euphorbiae and Hyles dahlii. However insofar as Hyles nicaea and Hyles hippophaes are often confused with h. euphorbiae, I propose below a key determination for all our species. A color Board will provide extra assistance for the hesitant. Good luck.

Within that genus, we have a complex of species, subspecies (and I do not talk about forms) closely related, with a very high level of polymorphism. It is called the Hyles euphorbiae complex. In France, we have only two real members of that complex, Hyles euphorbiae and Hyles dahlii. Goal ACE Hyles nicaea and Hyles hippophaes are often confused with euphorbiae I provide a determination key for all our species. Color flat will constitute a supplementary help for reluctant. Good luck and enjoy.

c_plate Hyles 1 annotated

Hyles 2 annotated c_plate

Hyles annotated 3 c_plate

  • Gray body. Wing earlier grey uniform with sometimes a postmedian line darker. Body grey. Forewing uniform grey with sometimes a darker postmedian line.         .. .Hyles vespertilio
  • Body brownish with spots black and white side on the 1st abdominal segments. Body brownish with black and white lateral spots on the first abdominal segments…2

2.

  • Front wing with the highlighted ribs of white cream, giving a line appearance. Posterior edges of the abdominal segments with a line of alternating white and black. Forwing with the venation highlighted with cream-white, producing a striped appearance. Edges of the posterior abdominal segments with year alternated black and white line… Hyles livornica
  • None of these characters together. None of those characters… 3

3.

  • Brown antenna, just sometimes thinning tip. Median band of the hind wing frankly two-tone, pink at the base, White Dew in the second half. Antenna, just the apex lighter Brown… Hyles gallii
  • Pure white antenna on the dorsal part. Antenna pure white on the dorsal area… 4

4.

  • Just marked front wing of a very linear postmedian band on its proximal edge. Disc task (stigma) clearly visible just followed by a trail of scales dark. Trailing edge of the last abdominal segments not marked in white. Forewing with just one very linear on its proximal side postmedian band. Disc spot (stigma) very obvious, extended with a thin dark line. Posterior edge of the last abdominal segments without any white mark… Hyles hippophaes
  • Front wing with more complex pattern, in particular task dark almost completely surrounding the stigma. Trailing edge of the last abdominal segments marked in white. Forewing with a more complex pattern, especially a dark patch surrounding almost totally the stigma. Posterior edge of the last abdominal segments with white marks… 5

5.

  • 3 black lateral spots on the first abdominal segments. 3 lateral black patches on the first abdominal segments… Hyles dahlii
  • 2 black lateral spots on the first abdominal segments. 2 lateral black patches on the first abdominal segments…6

6.

  • the hind wing median band Pink yellowish or pale pink. Presence in the front wing of a small "terms" dark subapical supernumerary. Patch to the anal angle of the hind wing yellowish or pinkish. Larger than 90mm. Median band of the hindwing sanguigno pink gold very light pink. One extra small subapical dark mark on the forewing. Anal patch of the hindwing yellowish or pinkish. Wingspan up to 90 mm ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….Hyles nicaea
  • median band of the hind wing bright pink or reddish pink. No "respect" dark subapical supernumeraryPatch to the anal angle of the hind wing pure whiteLess than 85mm scale. Median band of the hindwing bright pink or reddish pink. No. extra small subapical dark mark on the forewing. Anal patch of the hindwing pure white. Wingspan less than 85 mm.. .Hyles euphorbiae

 

And if my key does not work, please send me year email with a good picture of the uncertain specimen. I will answer quickly. Thanks.

If however, you are unable to determine one of your Hyles, send me a good picture of your problematic specimen. I will answer you quickly. Thank you.

 

Now, the challenge of the year (and the following). If you read the page "Hyles vespertilio", you know that the presence of this insect in the Pyrenees, reported from a single Caterpillar found near the Lake of gazebos, intrigues me at the highest point. So if you had any information, if you could confirm this, if you had the time to turn on your lights at the right time on this area, I'm strongly interested comments. Thank you.

I come back just for this region, and like last year, no trace of the insect. You to play!

Hyles vespertilio female imago the Alpes d'Huez (38) FRANCE
Hyles vespertilio female imago the Alpes d'Huez (38) FRANCE © Jean Haxaire

See you soon.

Jean HAXAIRE

Newsletter n ° 1 or "Appeal of June 18"

Hello.

This is a 1st test of the Newsletter generated by the site http://sphingidae-haxaire.com/

The purpose of this Newsletter is to give you some news on our favorite family. It will include:

  • information about the collection and field observations, in particular on the European and French faunas.
  • novel or innovative information on rearing, harvesting of eggs, prospecting techniques.
  • Sphingidae news in the broad sense, the publications that I remember, the new species described, the missions carried out by my colleagues and I in the world. I shall try as far as possible to report the major taxonomic changes made to this family, either specific or supra-specifique level. I would like to give my opinion on these works.
  • any other information that I find useful to inject here.

1 – Sphingidae of the month.

It has not escaped you that the season is awful.  Sphingidae started flying since February, with Macroglossum stellatarum (always 1). The season Proserpinus proserpina is now completed and its Caterpillar is not uncommon on the unkempt Fireweed of roadsides in my Department (47) but only before the passage of the deadly Reaper of the commune. Found in the company of Deilephila elpenor and sometimes even Hyles livornica.

In this connection, if you have the opportunity to intervene with your municipality to preserve some areas do, this practice is, in our campaigns strongly impacted by agriculture, the primary cause of depletion of the Sphinx as P. proserpina and d. elpenor. The side of road is often the last refuge for these species, between the bitumen and the cultivated field. mower

The species to look for this month is Hyles nicaea. If you have not yet seen steal this splendid Hyles, go when it will be fine. You will find its distribution known on http://sphingidae-haxaire.com/index.php/cartographie/

Marumba quercus is also very common in June (it flies from mid May) Although this year, it will be necessary to find the compromise good Moon/lack of rain, and it is not won.  However, it is undoubtedly in June that the insect is the most abundant and the coolest. In July, it clearly is the end.

The French observation of the month is a male of Sphinx of madder, observed and photographed by Jean-Claude TEMPIER in the North of the Hautes Alpes (05) Névache, 1500 m, 12 VI 2016. Shots have been added to the site in the week. This meeting is anything but banal. J. C. Tempier clichés have been added to the Gallery on this species.

2 – magazines to read.

If you are interested in the Sphingidae of the world, there is a review for you, The European Entomologist. In this periodical (4 issues/year) you will find hints of hunts, of faunal inventories, and descriptions of new species discovered during these investigations.

In the next issue, I publish an updated list of the Sphingidae of the Dominican Republic and the description of two surprising new discovered species during the mission in April 2016, therefore very recently.EE review pub

Two new Macroglossum Indonesian are also described, as well as a sedge by my excellent colleague Tomas Melichar.

If you are interested in this work, http://fr.sphingidae-museum.com/the-european-entomologist.html

I of course PDF provided scheduled for that paper size is not interested. I should mention that this review is published at a loss. It is not a lucrative operation.
Oreina

If you like that the fauna of France, the inevitable is OREINA

This review deals with the butterflies in France within the meaning wide, but this many notes concern our Sphingidae. The study of the complex pinastri/maurorum, «the Bombycoides caterpillars» folder, any that appeared in OREINA. It is my favorite magazine. Get an idea about http://www.oreina.org/

Pleased to read. I await your feedback.

Entomologiquement yours,

Jean Hanif