Laothoe austanti

Maghreb poplar hawkmoth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Laothoe
Species:	L. austanti
Binomial name
Laothoe austanti (Staudinger, 1877)[1]
Synonyms
Smerinthus austauti Staudinger, 1877 Smerinthus poupillieri Bellier de la Chavignerie, 1878 Laothoe iberica Eitschberger, Danner & Surholt, 1989 Amorpha austauti aurantiaca Oberthür, 1916 Amorpha austauti brunnea Huard, 1928 Laothoe austauti incarnata Austaut, 1880 Laothoe austauti mirabilis Austaut, 1883 Smerinthus austauti flava Bartel, 1900 Smerinthus austauti staudingeri (Austaut, 1879)

Laothoe austanti, the Maghreb poplar hawkmoth, is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from the Atlas Mountains and coastal plains of Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia and the neighbouring desert areas.^[2] The habitat consists of poplar- and willow-lined streams and rivers.

The wingspan is 95–120 mm. It is larger and generally paler than similar Laothoe populi. There is a dark brown form (form brunnea).

There are usually two generations per year, with adults on wing from April to May and again from July to August. In some years there is a third generation.

The larvae feed on Salix and Populus species.

Etymology

Staudinger named the species for Jules Léon Austaut, but made a spelling mistake and named it Smerinthus austanti instead.

References

1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
2. "Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic". Tpittaway.tripod.com. Retrieved 2011-11-01.