Hyles livornicoides
Hyles livornicoides, the Australian striped hawk moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae first described by Eugen Johann Christoph Esper in 1779. The larvae are known by the common name Yeperenye caterpillar.
| Hyles livornicoides | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Sphingidae |
| Genus: | Hyles |
| Species: | H. livornicoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Hyles livornicoides | |
| Synonyms | |
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Distribution
It is found in Australia in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.
Biology
The larvae feed on Portulaca oleracea, Boerhavia diffusa, Boerhavia schomburgkiana, Vitis vinifera and Tribulus terrestris. They are gregarious and live in dense colonies.
The larvae were used as food by Aborigines. They starved the caterpillars for a day or two before roasting them. The cooked larvae were said to have a pleasant savoury taste and could be stored for a long time.
References
- "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience – Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
External links
- Australian Faunal Directory
- Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (6 April 2016). "Hyles livornicoides (T.P. Lucas, 1892) Australian Striped Hawk Moth". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
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