Manduca lucetius lucetius

Updated as per http://www.pybio.org/SPHINGINAE.htm (Paraguay), November 2007
Updated as per CATE (Guyana: Bartica; Brazil: Para); February 12, 2011
Updated as per Heteroceres de Guyane Francaise (Kaw, February); February, 2011
Updated as per Bold Systems (French Guiana, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia); February 2011
Updated as per personal communication by Andres Urbas (Camp Caiman near Kaw, French Guiana, April 29, 2011); May 6, 2011
Updated as per personal communication with Jose Ramon Alvarez Corral (Bolivar, Venezuela); May 27, 2012; ongoing
Updated as per personal communication with Sergio D. Ríos Díaz in CATÁLOGO DE LOS SPHINGIDAE (INSECTA: LEPIDOPTERA) DEPOSITADOS EN EL MUSEO NACIONAL DE HISTORIA NATURAL DEL PARAGUAY; sent to me in July 2014 by Sergio D. Ríos Díaz.

Manduca lucetius lucetius
man-DOO-kuhMloo-SEE-tee-uhs
(Cramer, 1780) Sphinx

Manduca lucetius lucetius Paraguay, PYBIO.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke.
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY:

Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802
Subfamily: Sphinginae, Latreille, [1802]
Tribe: Sphingini, Latreille, 1802
Genus: Manduca Hubner, [1807] ...........
Species: lucetius lucetius (Cramer, 1780)

DISTRIBUTION:

Manduca lucetius lucetius flies in tropical rain forests in
Suriname (specimen type locality);
Guyana: Bartica;
French Guiana: Kaw;
Brazil: Para; Amazonas
Venezuela: Bolivar (JRAC);
Ecuador:
Peru ??;
Bolivia ??: Beni: Yacuma; and
Paraguay ??: Boqueron, Presidente Hayes, Concepcion, San Pedro, Canindeyu, Alto Parana Caaguazu, Cordillera, Paraguari, Guaira, Caazapa, and probably Amambay, Central and Itapua; and possibly
Uruguay as evidenced in the postage stamp below.

Gabriela Bentancur indicates a misidentification resulted in name lucetius on postage stamp. She indicates this species does not fly in Uruguay. Quite likely it is limited to the more northerly South American countries, being replaced by M. contracta in the south (SRD).

Manduca lucetius, Camp Caiman, near Kaw, French Guiana,
April 29, 2011, courtesy of Andres Urbas.

The forewing is somewhat variable in shape. In some specimens it is more elongate than in others. The slaty greyish-black downy patches in the forewing median area are very pronounced, and form, together with a patch in the discal cell, a large semicircle filled with dark grey to black scaling. The basal area, lower third of the median area and the postmedian areas are largely either russet or a much lighter grey. The white dots of the fringe sometimes encroach on the wing, being slightly enlarged toward the body, though they may be very small or absent.

In Bolivia there is a record from Yocumo [Yacuma] (350-850m).

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larvae feed on Solanaceae and Verbenaceae: Lycopersicon, Brugmansia arborea, Brunfelsia uniflora, Capsicum annuum, Lycopersicon esculentum and Solanum sisymbriifolium.

In Uruguay the following hosts are given: grapevine (parra); Pope, tobacco, tomato, etc.