Cautethia grotei

Cautethia grotei, or Grote's sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Henry Edwards in 1882.

Grote's sphinx
Male dorsal
Male ventral
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Cautethia
Species:	C. grotei
Binomial name
Cautethia grotei H. Edwards, 1882[1]

Distribution

It resides in the US state of Florida and the islands of the Caribbean.

Description

The wingspan is 28–40 mm.

Biology

There are multiple generations per year in Florida. Adults nectar at various flowers, including Asystasia gangetica and Dracaena fragrans.

Host plants

Larvae have been recorded feeding on various Rubiaceae species, including milkberry (Chiococca alba), black torch (Erithalis fruticosa) and common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus).

Subspecies

• Cautethia grotei grotei (Florida, Cuba, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and possibly Hispaniola and Jamaica. Strays have been found up to Tennessee, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York and even New Hampshire)[2]
• Cautethia grotei apira Jordan, 1940 (Cayman Islands)[3]
• Cautethia grotei hilaris Jordan, 1940 (Cayman Islands)[4]

References

1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
2. "''Cautethia grotei grotei'' at Silkmoths". Silkmoths.bizland.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
3. "''Cautethia grotei apira'' at Silkmoths". Silkmoths.bizland.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
4. "''Cautethia grotei hilaris'' at Silkmoths". Silkmoths.bizland.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2011-10-19.

External links

• "Grote's sphinx Cautethia grotei Hy. Edwards, 1882". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
• "Cautethia grotei grotei". Sphingidae of the Americas.