Amorpha juglandis

Amorpha juglandis, the walnut sphinx, is the only species in the monotypic moth genus Amorpha, which is in the family Sphingidae, erected by Jacob Hübner in 1809. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797.

Walnut sphinx
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Tribe:	Smerinthini
Genus:	Amorpha J. Hübner, 1809
Species:	A. juglandis
Binomial name
Amorpha juglandis (J. E. Smith, 1797)[1]
Synonyms
Generic Cressonia Grote & Robinson, 1865 Specific Sphinx juglandis J. E. Smith, 1797 Cressonia juglandis Laothoe juglandis Sphinx instibilis Martyn, 1797 Cressonia hyperbola Slosson, 1890 Cressonia robinsonii Butler, 1876 Smerinthus pallens Strecker, 1873 Cressonia juglandis alpina Clark, 1927 Cressonia juglandis manitobae Clark, 1930

Distribution

It is native to North America, where it is distributed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States.

Description

The wingspan is 45–75 mm.

• 
  Female
• 
  Female underside
• 
  Male
• 
  Male underside

Biology

The adult moth is nocturnal, active mainly during the early hours of the night.

The caterpillar feeds on alder (Alnus), hickory (Carya), hazelnut (Corylus), beech (Fagus), walnut (Juglans), and hop-hornbeam (Ostrya) species. When attacked by a bird, the caterpillar produces a high-pitched whistle by expelling air from pair of spiracles in its abdomen. This antipredator adaptation may startle the bird, which may then reject the caterpillar.[2]

References

1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
2. Fullard, James H.; Napoleone, Nadia (2001). "Diel flight periodicity and the evolution of auditory defences in the Macrolepidoptera". Animal Behaviour. 62 (2): 349. doi:10.1006/anbe.2001.1753. S2CID 53182157.

Further reading

• Bura, V. L.; Rohwer, V. G.; Martin, P. R.; Yack, J. E. (2010). "Whistling in caterpillars (Amorpha juglandis, Bombycoidea): Sound-producing mechanism and function". Journal of Experimental Biology. 214 (Pt 1): 30–7. doi:10.1242/jeb.046805. PMID 21147966.
• Knight, K. (2010). "Whistling Caterpillars Startle Birds". Journal of Experimental Biology. 214 (Pt 14): ii. doi:10.1242/jeb.054155. PMID 21834205.

External links

• Lotts, Kelly & Naberhaus, Thomas (2017). "Walnut sphinx Amorpha juglandis (J.E. Smith, 1797)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
• "Amorpha juglandis (J. E. Smith, 1797)". Sphingidae of the Americas. Archived June 29, 2006.
• Cotinis (December 19, 2012). "Genus Amorpha". BugGuide. Retrieved December 11, 2018.