Manduca brontes

Drury, 1773

Manduca brontes is a sphinx moth (Sphingidae) first described by Dru Drury in 1773. The occurs in the Caribbean region and northern South America. are known to be active from April to June in Florida. Larvae feed on several plant species including Tecoma and Fraxinus.

Manduca brontes brontes BMNHE273688 male un by The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.Manduca brontes brontes BMNHE273688 male up by The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.Manduca brontes haitiensis, female, underside. Dominican Republic, Domingo by The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Manduca brontes: //ˈmæn.djuː.kə ˈbrɒn.teɪz//

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Distribution

Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Suriname, and Florida (USA). Four are recognized: M. b. brontes (Jamaica, Cuba, Greater Antilles, northern South America), M. b. cubensis (Cuba, Cayman Islands, Florida), M. b. haitiensis (Haiti, Dominican Republic), and M. b. pamphilius (Puerto Rico).

Seasonality

are on wing from April to June in Florida. Specific periods for other parts of the range have not been documented.

Diet

Larvae have been recorded feeding on Tecoma (including Tecoma stans) and Fraxinus species (F. americana, F. excelsior, F. platycarpa). feeding habits have not been documented.

Host Associations

  • Tecoma stans - larval food plant
  • Fraxinus americana - larval food plant
  • Fraxinus excelsior - larval food plant
  • Fraxinus platycarpa - larval food plant

Similar Taxa

  • Manduca sextaSimilar larval and plant use (Solanaceae vs. Bignoniaceae/Oleaceae for M. brontes), but M. sexta is larger, has a red-tipped horn as a larva, and occurs primarily in mainland North America
  • Manduca quinquemaculataSimilar size and general appearance as larvae and , but has eight V-shaped white markings with no borders on larvae versus seven diagonal lines with black borders in M. sexta; M. brontes differs in plant associations and geographic range

More Details

Subspecies

Four are recognized with distinct geographic distributions: M. b. brontes, M. b. cubensis, M. b. haitiensis, and M. b. pamphilius.

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Sources and further reading