Xanthopan morganii (lat.) - African species of moths from the family of hawk moths . It is a butterfly with the longest proboscis, the length of which reaches 22.5 cm [1] [2] .
Xanthopan morganii | ||||||||||||||||
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Xanthopan morganii with proboscis unfolded | ||||||||||||||||
Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
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Latin name | ||||||||||||||||
Xanthopan morganii ( Walker , 1856) |
Description
Fore wing length 53–65 mm. Wingspan 100-130 mm. Females are distinguished by longer and wide wings. The front wings and body are covered with spots, the color of which varies from yellowish-brown to greenish. Spots are located on the sides of the abdomen. The color of the hind wings is dark with two yellow spots at the base of the wings, separated by a dark stripe.
The proboscis reaches a length of up to 22.5 cm and is the longest among all representatives of the order Lepidoptera [1] .
Prediction and Discovery Story
Charles Darwin, in his book On Orchid Plants for Insect Fertilization, published in 1862 , studied an orchid flower of the species Angraecum sesquipedale sent to him from Madagascar . Darwin drew attention to a very long spur of a flower about 30 cm long with nectar at the very bottom. He suggested that this particular orchid has a special pollinator, most likely a large moth from the family of hawk moths with a corresponding spur of the trunk length [3] . However, at that time, scientists were not aware of butterflies with such a long proboscis.
In 1867–1871, Alfred Russell Wallace adhered to Darwin’s point of view, describing in his works the fact that an orchid could develop together with a species of butterflies pollinating it.
And only 40 years later, in 1903 in Madagascar such a butterfly was discovered and described by Walter Rothschild and Carl Jordan . In tribute to Darwin's prediction, it was named as a subspecies of Xanthopan morganii praedicta ( lat. Praedicta = predicted) [4] [1] [5] .
Area
The species is widely distributed in the warm coastal regions of Africa and is most commonly found in Mozambique , Malawi and Zimbabwe . Also found in tropical and subtropical areas further inland.
It is also widely distributed in Madagascar , where it was originally described as a subspecies of Xanthopan morgani praedicta , but later it turned out that it is identical to butterflies from the mainland [6] .
Caterpillar plants
The caterpillars of Xanthopan morganii feed on Annona senegalensis , Hexalobus crispiflorus , Uvaria , Ibaria and Xylopia [7] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Kaabak L. Butterflies-champions // Science and life: journal. - M. , 2002. - Vol. 1 . - № 7 .
- ↑ Kaabak L.V., Sochivko A.V. Butterflies of the World. - M .: Avanta +, 2003. ISBN 5-94623-008-5 .
- ET COMET ORCHID - THE STAR OF MADAGASCAR Unreferenced (not available link) . The date of circulation is May 2, 2014. Archived February 12, 2009.
- ↑ G. Kritsky: Darwin's Madagascan hawk moth prediction. American Entomologist 2001, 37: S. 206-210, online: PDF Archived November 5, 2013.
- ↑ Angraecum sesquipedale on the website of the University of Connecticut Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Archived May 2, 2014.
- ↑ of The phylogenetic relationships of Morgan's Sphinx, Xanthopan morganii (Walker), the tribe Acherontiini, and allied's long-tongued hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae, Sphinginae) Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society the the Volume 135, Issue 4, pages 471-527, August 2002 DOI: 10.1046 / j.1096-3642.2002.00021.x
- ↑ http://www.africanmoths.com - Xanthopan morganii, (Walker, 1856)