Moths of
Britain and Europe
Lime Hawkmoth
Mimas tiliae
LINNAEUS, 1758
Family - SPHINGIDAE
subfamily -
SPHINGINAE
Tribe -
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Lime Hawkmoth
Mimas tiliae, Havant, England
Introduction
The
family Sphingidae comprises of over 1050 species worldwide. The family name is
derived from the appearance of the caterpillars, which adopt a posture
reminiscent of the Egyptian Sphinxes.
Sphingidae
is divided into 2 subfamilies - the Macroglossinae, which are incredibly adept
fliers, and the more cumbersome Sphinginae, which includes the Lime, Poplar,
Eyed and Death's Head hawks.
Almost all hawkmoths, from both
subfamilies, have cryptically patterned forewings that break up their outline, making it difficult for insectivorous birds to develop a "search
image". Many of the hawks are patterned to resemble the bark of the trees on
which they habitually rest during the daytime. Others including the Lime
Hawkmoth are marked with blotches of green, and have ragged wing edges which in
combination with the resting posture give them the appearance of a bunch of
crumpled leaves. The pattern of the Lime Hawkmoth provides an extremely
effective camouflage when it rests amongst foliage in dappled sunlight.
The Lime hawkmoth produces
several beautiful colour forms. Some are patterned entirely in shades of green;
others have green markings on a buff ground colour; and others such as that
illustrated above, have a brick red ground colour and red forelegs.
Mimas
tiliae is a widely distributed species, found across Europe and most of
temperate Asia. There is only one other species in the genus -
M. cristophi, which is found in China, Siberia and Japan,
and is similar in pattern to tiliae, but much
darker and more sombre in colour.
Habitats
The Lime hawkmoth is primarily a forest species, but is most
commonly met with in suburban areas where it's foodplants are
grown as ornamental trees.
Lifecycle
The
eggs are oval, pale green and shiny. They are usually laid singly
or in pairs, and are attached to the underside of leaves of the
foodplants, which include lime Tilia
vulgaris ( Malvaceae ) and various elms
Ulmus ( Ulmaceae ).
The larvae, like
those of most hawkmoths have a prominent curved "horn" on the anal
segment. When in the first instar this horn is almost as long as
the body, but becomes progressively shorter and thicker with each
successive moult. When fully grown the larva is pale green, and
covered with tiny yellowish tubercles, giving it a very rough
texture. The horn is blue, and there are a series of diagonal
whitish stripes along each side of the body. The larva is very
well disguised, with the stripes perfectly simulating the veins of
the leaves among which it rests.
When ready to
pupate the larva changes colour to a dull earthy brown, and
wanders down the trunk of it's lime or elm tree, whereupon it
burrows a centimetre or two into the soil and excavates a cell
which it lines with a few strands of silk. Sometimes the pupa is
formed on the surface of the ground, among mosses. It can
occasionally be found in crevices in the bark of the trees. It is
a dull reddish-brown colour, with a rough texture.
Adult behaviour
The
adult emerges from the pupa in May or June, usually at about
midday, and climbs up a nearby stem or tree
trunk, where it hangs for about an hour as it inflates and dries
it's wings. Males take flight at dusk the same evening to search
for females, which do not themselves make any attempt to fly until
mated. During the daytime the moths rest on the stems of bushes, or
on the branches of trees. Both sexes will enter buildings,
attracted by house lights, although this is far less frequent now
that generalised "light pollution" from street lights and houses
has become ubiquitous.
Lime Hawkmoth
Mimas tiliae, female
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