Guatemala Manduca comparison Table
Manduca dilucida, Ixpanpajul, 5km S Santa Elena, Peten, Guatemala,
June 5, 2015, 200m, 92mm, courtesy of Terry Stoddard, id by Bill Oehlke.
This page is inspired by and dedicated to Terry Stoddard who sent me twelve images of Manduca species encountered
in Guatemala, June, 2015. If you have corrections
to offer or additional images and or data, please contact
Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com.
This Manduca list for Guatemala has been derived from what I believe are reliable lists for
Mexico and Nicaragua. Since I have only listed those species common to both those nations together with a few species which have specimen type
localities in Guatemala, there are probably many omissions.
This table has been arranged to assist myself, Terry, and other photographers, collectors, hobbyists, etc., with identifications. I have arranged
species into groups without regard to scientific similarities or relationships, but rather solely on appearance, and offer identification notes to distinguish
between species which are very similar in appearance.
Very Distinct Species
The first group of species should be easily recognized as they have very distinct forewing features/characters which are unlike those found on other species
from Guatemala.
Manduca albiplaga JM
|
Prominent white regions on body:
1) head,
2) bar/band separating thorax and abdomen,
3) tip of abdomen.
Prominent white regions on forewing:
1) basal-median patch from costa to inner margin;
2) large apical patch
Note absence of white region along median inner margin as found in rustica.
|
Manduca rustica TS
|
Somewhat similar to albiplaga but white basal median area continues outward along the inner margin toward pm line in a broad band, meeting a greyish-white
subterminal band completely enclosing a dark upper two-thirds of median area.
Both albiplaga and rustica have three pairs of yellow-orange marks along the sides of the abdomen.
|
Less Distinct Species with Prominent Yellow-orange Markings on Abdomen
Manduca occulta
|
Look for four prominent "white teeth" almost reaching the outer margin in the lower 2/3 of the forewing subterminal area.
|
Less Distinct Species without Prominent Yellow-orange Markings on Abdomen
Manduca barnesi
|
The black, very distinct, oblique, double am lines are directly inline with the cell mark and would encase it if they were fully extended.
Ground colour is light grey with black markings.
There are two thin black dashes, the upper emanating from the angle in the am line and running through the pm lines, the lower emanating from
the am line just below the upper and also running through the pm lines.
|
Manduca schausi JM
|
Quite similar to barnesi, but am line is less pronounced and more angulate and less oblique.
The area immediately around the small white cell mark is darker in schausi than in barnesi.
The two black dashes in the median area are thinner, shorter and generally less noticeable compared to those in barnesi.
Schausi is larger than barnesi.
|
|
