Smerinthus caecus Ménétriés, 1857

Jiang, Zhuo-Heng, Li, Tao, Yan, Ming, Wang, Jia-Xin, Zheng, Xin-Yi & Hu, Shao-Ji, 2024, The life history of Smerinthus minor Mell, 1937, with a review of the East Asian species of the genus Smerinthus Latreille, 1802 (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae), Zootaxa 5551 (3), pp. 453-478 : 457-459

Smerinthus caecus Ménétriés, 1857 [ēn天ë]

( Figures 2–4 )

Smerinthus caecus Ménétriés, 1857 . Enumeratio Corporum Anim. Mus. imp. Acad. Sci. Petropolitanae (Ins. Lepid.) 2 (Lepid. Heterocera): 135. TL: ‘Chitinskaya Oblast [ Russia]’.

Material examined. CHINA: ♂, Jilin, Yanbian, Huichun City , 30-V-2023, Yuan-Yuan Jin leg. [ NEFU] ; ♂, Jilin, Yanbian, Helong City , 1-VI-2023, Yuan-Yuan Jin leg. [ NEFU] ; ♀, Liaoning, Tieling, Fenshuiling , 29-VI-2023, Ting- Ting Zhao leg. [ NEFU] ; 2♂♂, Heilongjiang, Mudanjiang City , 23-V-2018, Chun Li leg. [ JZHC] ; 3♂♂, Beijing, Huairou County, 8-VII-2023, Tao Li leg. [ LTC] ; 2♂♂, Beijing, Huairou County, 28-VI-2024, Tao Li leg. [ LTC] .

Diagnosis. Male ( Figure 2A–B ): Head grey; thorax grey with wide brown patch dorsally; abdomen brownish on upperside with two long grey subdorsal stripes, laterally with a grey stripe on each segment, underside grey. Forewing long, triangular, with an apical notch, outer margin wavy and protruding outward between veins M 2 and M 3, distal portion of inner margin slightly concave; upperside ground colour grey scattered with pink-brown scales, basal to medial area with brown patch and four brown curved lines edged with white scales, medial area to submarginal area with three wide wavy lines and triangular patch near apex linked to narrow brownish patch at vein M 3, deep brown semicircular patch near tornus, discal spot arrow-shaped in greyish white; underside pattern almost identical to upperside but more faded, basal to discal area pinkish, patch near tornus orange. Hindwing yellowbrownish, large area covered with pink scales, incomplete small black ocellus containing two small blue streaks near tornus; underside pattern almost identical to underside of forewing, without the pink basal coloration.

Female ( Figures 2C–D ): Similar to male but wings broader and ground pattern slightly darker and more extensive, antennae much slenderer.

Male genitalia ( Figure 3A–D ): Uncus and gnathos form typical Smerinthinae “bird-beak” structure. Uncus thick and slightly curved, with a tiny apical hook, densely hairy dorsally. Gnathos straight, much shorter and slenderer than uncus, apex blunt. Valva tongue-shaped, with a wider terminal part narrower than the basal part, apex blunt. Sacculus long and wide, constricted apically into a short, thick and blunt harpe. Phallus long and slightly curved, anterior lobe markedly wider than posterior, with long and strong cornuti on the narrow basal and lateral sclerite.

Female genitalia ( Figure 4 ): Anal papillae rounded. Lamella antevaginalis sclerotized and slender; lamella postvaginalis shorter and more curved than lamella antevaginalis; ostial lobe short and broad. Ductus bursae tubular, membranous and broad. Corpus bursae membranous and oval.

Distribution: China (Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi, Hubei), Mongolia, Korean Peninsula, Japan, Russia.

Biological notes: This species was collected in middle to high elevation temperate deciduous broad-leaved forests, attracted to light at night.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitus of Smerinthus caecus. A–B. male, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, China; C–D. female, Pingshan, Heilongjiang, China. Scale bar = 10 mm.

FIGURE 3. Male genitalia of Smerinthus caecus, Changbai Shan, Jilin, China. A. Lateral view; B. Left valve; C. Phallus; D. Anterior lobe of the process.

FIGURE 4. Female genitalia of Smerinthus caecus, Tieling, Liaoning, China.