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Hemaris aethra, the Diervilla clearwing, is a moth in the family Sphingidae (subfamily Macroglossinae). It is native to the northern United States and southern Canada. Like H. diffinis, with which it shares some of its range, H. aethra is a bumblebee mimic.
| Hemaris aethra | |
|---|---|
| |
| Adult resting on a leaf | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Sphingidae |
| Genus: | Hemaris |
| Species: | H. aethra
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| Binomial name | |
| Hemaris aethra (Strecker, 1875)
| |
| Synonyms | |
After having long been treated as a subspecies of H. diffinis due to difficulty in distinguishing them morphologically, H. aethra was elevated to species status in 2018.
Etymology
editThe specific name, aethra, comes from Ancient Greek Αἴθρα (romanized: Aíthra), meaning "bright sky".[3][a] Several women in Greek myth bear this name; the exact namesake Strecker had in mind is not clear.
Taxonomy
editTaxonomic history
editStrecker (1875) described the moth as Macroglossa aethra based on a female specimen from Montreal, identifying it as either a novel species or a "most remarkable aberrant form of Diffinis [sic]".[1] Within eastern diffinis, Barnes & McDunnough (1910) recognized H. diffinis aethra as a northern subspecies occurring from Maine to northern Ontario.[4]
Relationship to H. diffinis
editSchmidt (2009) barcoded the DNA of H. diffinis specimens from eastern Ontario and found them to be made up of two sympatric groups with diverging genes for cytochrome c oxidase.[5][6] Schmidt (2018) examined other characteristics of the two groups and determined H. d. aethra to be a new species, H. aethra, while the nominate subspecies, H. d. diffinis, was synonymized with H. diffinis. Aside from their not being conspecific, mitochondrial DNA analysis also showed that H. aethra and H. diffinis are not sister taxa, with the former being most closely related to H. thetis, the Rocky Mountain clearwing.[6] The phenotypical similarity of H. aethra and H. diffinis can be attributed to convergent evolution through co-mimicry of the same bumblebee model.[6]
Distribution and habitat
editHemaris aethra ranges from Maine to northern Ontario, with occasional records as far west as Saskatchewan.[7] It has a moderately broad range, estimated at 200,000-2,500,000 square km (80,000-1,000,000 square miles).[8] H. aethra's high degree of host specificity limits its geographic range to within that of its host plant, Diervilla lonicera; within this range, H. aethra is found in mesic, open deciduous forest, mostly in igneous bedrock plant communities, conditions that likely reflects the requirements of its host. In contrast, H. diffinis is found in more xeric, savannah-like habitats where its host Symphoricarpos (snowberry) is common.[9]
The separation distance for both unsuitable and suitable habitat is 1 kilometer.[8]
In addition to being sympatric with H. diffinis in eastern Ontario and possibly other areas,[6] aethra's range overlaps with those of H. gracilis and H. thysbe.
Description
editThe H. aethra larva has multiple color forms, the most common being green. It has bright red spiracles, a yellow prothoracic collar, and a caudal horn with a black apex fading to a pink-purple base; in contrast, diffinis larvae have black spiracles and the base of the caudal horn is bright yellow.[10]
Adults can be extremely difficult to tell apart from H. diffinis where they occur in sympatry, such as eastern Ontario. Generally, aethra adults are slightly larger and more robust, and the dorsal thorax is a richer orange-brown color contrasting strongly with olive-brown dorsolateral stripes. The head is often greenish grey. The reddish-brown scaling on the apex of the forewings is generally larger and brighter red in aethra than diffinis, taking up 50% or more of the R4-R5 cell, and that on the hindwing anal margins is also more extensive.[10]
Ecology
editLike other Hemaris species, Hemaris aethra is a dayflying moth. It hovers at flowers to feed on their nectar, pollinating them in the process. Adults have been recorded nectaring on Vaccinium, Chicory, and Lonicera tatarica.[11]
The only known host plant for H. aethra larvae is the northern bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera). Native Lonicera species may also be larval hosts like they are for H. diffinis, but Lonicera are typically much less common than Diervilla where H. aethra occurs.[12]
Conservation
editThreats and potential conservation needs are unknown, as are long-term and short-term population trends. As of 2024, the species is not listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act or Canada's Species at Risk Act.[8]
See also
edit- Species complex - aethra was a cryptic species in the H. diffinis complex
- Plant hosts of micropredators — larval host plants and host specificity
- Generalist and specialist species — specificity/specialization in Lepidoptera in broader context of generalists and specialists
Notes
edit- ^ Graves prefaces the index by saying, "Many of the meanings are doubtful" (p. 377).
Citations
edit- ^ a b Strecker 1875, p. 107.
- ^ Barnes & McDunnough 1910, p. 201.
- ^ Graves 1957, p. 378.
- ^ Barnes & McDunnough 1910, pp. 200–203.
- ^ Schmidt 2009.
- ^ a b c d Schmidt 2018.
- ^ Schmidt 2018, p. 34.
- ^ a b c Young 2019.
- ^ Schmidt 2018, pp. 34, 41.
- ^ a b Schmidt 2018, p. 37.
- ^ Schmidt 2018, p. 41.
- ^ Schmidt 2018, p. 40.
References
edit- Barnes, William; McDunnough, J. (1910). "List of Sphingidae of America North of Mexico". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 17 (5): 190–206. doi:10.1155/1910/54904. eISSN 1687-7438. ISSN 0033-2615.
- Graves, Robert (1957). The Greek Myths. New York: George Braziller, Inc. p. 377-8. hdl:2027/uiug.30112010441894. LCCN 57004984. OCLC 1261739. pp. 377, 378:
Many of the meanings are doubtful. [...] Aethra – bright sky
- Schmidt, B. Christian (2009). "Hemaris thetis (Boisduval 1855) (Sphingidae) is a distinct species" (PDF). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 63 (2): 100–109. BioStor 241414, BHL 55596396. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- Schmidt, B. Christian (2018). "Cryptic species among bumblebee mimics: an unrecognized Hemaris hawkmoth (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in eastern North America". Zootaxa. 4399 (1): 32–48. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4399.1.2. eISSN 1175-5326. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 29690328. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- Strecker, Herman (1875–1876). Lepidoptera, rhopaloceres and heteroceres, indigenous and exotics; with descriptions and colored illustrations. No. 12/13 (PDF). Reading, Pa.: Owen's Steam Book and Job Printing Office. pp. 106–110. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.9929. LCCN agr04000230. OCLC 4351772. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- Young, B. (December 8, 2019). "Hemaris aethra, a bumblebee clearwing". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe ID ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1058793, NatureServe Code IILEX0W060. Retrieved July 14, 2024.