Hawaiian tomato hornworm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hawaiian tomato hornworm |
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Manduca blackburni, the Hawaiian tomato hornworm, Hawaiian tobacco hornworm or Blackburn's sphinx moth, is a moth in the family Sphingidae.
Taxonomy
Manduca blackburni is closely related to the tomato hornworm (M. quinquemaculata), which it also physically resembles. The species was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1880.
Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to Hawaii. Previously known from all of the main islands, this rare moth is now limited to Maui, the Big Island, and Kahoʻolawe. It is found in coastal mesic and dry forests at elevations from sea level to 5,000 ft (1,500 m).
Diet and ecology
Larvae feed on plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae, especially native ʻaiea (Nothocestrum spp.), but also non-native tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), tree tobacco (N. glauca), jimson weed (Datura stramonium), and eggplant (Solanum melongena). The adult feeds on nectar from native plants such as koali ʻawa (Ipomoea indica) and maiapilo (Capparis sandwichiana).
Conservation
It was listed as an endangered species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2000, making it the first Hawaiian insect to receive such a status. NatureServe considers the insect to be Critically Imperiled.
