Western Eyed Sphinx

Smerinthus ophthalmica

The Western Eyed Sphinx is a beautiful moth with big, eye-like spots on its wings. These spots help scare away predators! It loves to fly around at night and is often found near flowers.

Lebensraum: Forests

Aussehen

The Western Eyed Sphinx is a large moth with a fuzzy, thick body and narrow forewings that are typically mottled grey or brown. Its most striking feature are the bright pink hindwings, each bearing a large, blue-ringed black 'eyespots' that resemble an owl's eyes.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungLepidopteraFamilieSphingidaeGattungSmerinthus

Western Eyed Sphinx

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Adult moths cannot eat solid food; they drink flower nectar through a straw-like tongue!

Its scientific name, *ophthalmica*, means 'eye-like,' referring to its amazing wing spots!

Some people call them 'hummingbird moths' because they hover like birds while feeding!

The caterpillar has a horn-like tail on its rear, but it's completely harmless to touch!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Western Eyed Sphinx can flash its bright hindwing eyespots to startle predators, making them think it's a much larger animal.

This moth has patterned forewings that perfectly blend with tree bark, helping it hide from predators during the day.

Western Eyed Sphinx has strong wing muscles allowing it to hover like a hummingbird while drinking nectar from flowers.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 70-90 mm
Größe: 35-50 mm
Lebenserwartung: 7-14 Tage
Fluggeschwindigkeit: 25-45 km/h
Anzahl der Beine: 6

Ernährung und Fütterung

Adults drink flower nectar, while caterpillars munch on leaves from various trees and shrubs.

Altersunterschiede: Larvae eat leaves; adults exclusively drink nectar from flowers.

Hauptnahrung

willow leaves
poplar leaves
honeysuckle nectar
evening primrose nectar

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

pollinates

Bearberry Honeysuckle

Lonicera involucrata

Feeds on nectar from its trumpet-shaped flowers.

eats

Scouler's Willow

Salix scouleriana

Its caterpillars feed on the leaves of this tree.

eaten by

Little Brown Bat

Myotis lucifugus

Adult moths are hunted by bats during their nighttime flights.

Merkmale

Gefleckt

Mit Flecken oder farblich abgesetzten Bereichen gezeichnet.

Bestäubermagnet

Beschreibt Pflanzen, die für eine Vielzahl von bestäubenden Organismen besonders attraktiv und nützlich sind.

Farbenfroh

Farbenfroh beschreibt Organismen oder Objekte, die eine große Vielfalt an leuchtenden und deutlich erkennbaren Farben aufweisen.

Pflanzenfressend

Dieses Merkmal kennzeichnet Lebewesen, deren Ernährung vollständig oder hauptsächlich aus pflanzlichem Material besteht.

Wald

Waldlebensräume sind terrestrische Lebensräume, die von dichtem Baumbestand dominiert werden und eine große Vielfalt an Pflanzen- und Tierarten beherbergen.