Manduca leucospila Dto Sta Barbara Villamonte Reserva Natural, Las Lancitas, Jujuy, Argentina,
January 25, 2009, courtesy of Leonard Aguado.

Manduca leucospila, Mesada de las Colmenas, Calilegua NP, Jujuy, Argentina,
November 9, 2014, 1150m, courtesy of Ezequiel Núñez Bustos.

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TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Sphinginae, Latreille, [1802] Tribe: Sphingini, Latreille, 1802 Genus: Manduca Hubner, [1807] ........... Species: leucospila (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903)

DISTRIBUTION:

Manduca leucospila (forewing length: 47mm; approximate wingspan: males: 100mm) flies in
Peru (specimen type locality);
Venezuela;
French Guiana: Saint-Georges de l'Oyapok;
Bolivia: La Paz: Murillo, Río Zongo, 750m;
Brazil: Amazonas, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo;
western Argentina: Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman.

It probably also flies in Guyana; and Suriname.

Similar to Manduca dalica, but wings narrower. Colour intermediate between Manduca dalica and Manduca rustica.

Along the inner margin, the space between the antemedian line and the post-discal lines, housing the other lines, is pale, suffused with buff. There is are large greyish-white patches anterior to the oblique apical line, and in submarginal area. There is a smaller white patch and a submarginal zigzag line near the anal angle. A black streak connects the 3rd antemedian and 1st discal lines between veins CuA1 and CuA2; discal lines sharply dentate, 2nd and 3rd close together, with the space between spotted with white, the lines more evenly curved than in Manduca rustica; fringe with white spots large, extending onto the wing membrane.

Hindwing upperside similar to that of Manduca dalica, but the pale distal band more distinct posteriorly and broader. CATE

Manduca leucospila by John Vriesi.

FLIGHT TIMES:

Manduca leucospila adults fly in August and probably in other months in French Guiana.

Leonardo Aguado reports a January flight in Jujuy, Argentina.

ECLOSION:

Pupae probably wiggle to surface from subterranean chambers just prior to eclosion.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in the males with a pheromone released from a gland at the tip of the abdomen.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larval hosts are unknown to me.

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Manduca leucospila male, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
on my home computer only.