Virginia creeper sphinx facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Darapsa myron |
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Darapsa myron, the Virginia creeper sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae found in central and eastern North America.
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Distribution
It is found in southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada, and in the United States is found from Maine south to south Florida; west to North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas. It also can be found in Mexico.
Description
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Male dorsal
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Male ventral
Biology
There are 2 or 3 broods in much of the range, and larvae can mature in as few as 3 weeks. Larvae hide on the midribs of their host leaves and are nocturnal feeders. During July and August, this species is abundant in many areas, particularly Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Adults emerge in the mid-afternoon and females begin calling after dusk. In spring, adults are more likely to feed, nectaring from flowers and drinking fluids from rotting fruit. In areas where they are common, D. myron readily come to both lights and sugar baits, being most active between sunset and midnight. Females have much rounder abdomens while the end of the male's abdomen is spade-shaped. Pairing is fairly quick and captive adults do not need to be fed, although females lay more eggs when fed. Sometimes adults refuse food altogether. Mated females deposit up to 150 small eggs that start out green but turn yellow within 48 hours, indicating fertility. Incubation lasts about 6 days. Fully grown larvae turn a purplish brown before spinning a sparse, wiry cocoon among host leaves. Pupae either eclose within about 24 days or diapause, eclosing in late May.
The caterpillars are known to feed on virginia creeper, Ampelopsis, and grape.
Subspecies
- Darapsa myron myron
- Darapsa myron mexicana (Gehlen, 1933) (Mexico)
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Darapsa myron mexicana dorsal female
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Darapsa myron mexicana ventral female
