Sphinx morio, the larch hawk moth or Asian pine hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.[2] It is found in Russia, the Korean Peninsula, Japan and China.

Larch hawk moth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Sphinx
Species:
S. morio
Binomial name
Sphinx morio
Synonyms
  • Hyloicus morio Rothschild & Jordan, 1903
  • Sphinx laricis Rozkhov, 1972
  • Hyloicus morio inouei Owada & Kogi, 1992
  • Hyloicus morio arestus Jordan, 1931
  • Hyloicus morio heilongjiangensis Zhao & Zhang, 1992
  • Sphinx caligineus hakodoensis O. Bang-Haas, 1936

The wingspan is 60–80 mm.

The larvae feed on Picea (including Picea asperata and Picea jezoensis), Larix (including Larix kaempferi, Larix sibirica, and Larix gmelinii var. olgensis), Pinus (including Pinus sibirica, Pinus sylvestris, Pinus koraiensis, Pinus densiflora, Pinus thunbergii and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) and Abies species (including Abies fabri). In the Altai, it can be a major pest of Pinus sylvestris, sometimes causing complete defoliation of large areas.

Subspecies edit

  • Sphinx morio morio (Honshu in Japan)[3]
  • Sphinx morio arestus (Jordan, 1931) (central Russia and the Altai eastward through Mongolia and northeastern China, to Primorskiy Kray, Sakhalin Island, the Korean Peninsula and Tsushima in Japan)[4]
  • Sphinx morio inouei (Owada & Kogi, 1992) (northern Hokkaido in Japan)[5]

References edit

  1. ^ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-11-01.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Savela, Markku. "Sphinx morio (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  3. ^ Pittaway, A. R.; Kitching, I. J. (2018). "Sphinx morio morio (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903) -- Asian Pine hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  4. ^ Pittaway, A. R.; Kitching, I. J. (2018). "Sphinx morio arestus (Jordan, 1931) -- Asian Pine hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  5. ^ Pittaway, A. R.; Kitching, I. J. (2018). "Sphinx morio inouei (Owada & Kogi, 1992) -- Asian Pine hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. Retrieved December 17, 2018.