VU—THE SPHINGIDAE. 41 
CHAPTER VII. 
THE SPHINGIDAE. 
The Sphingidae, or Hawk-moths, are distinguished 
by the following characters :-— 
Head with dense appressed hairs. Ocelli absent. Eyes gla- 
brous. Antennae thickened towards middle or posteriorly, in 
male ciliated with partial whorls. Labial palpi moderate, ascend- 
ing, with dense projecting scales. Thorax densely hairy beneath. 
Femora densely hairy. Fore-wings with vein 1b furcate, 6 out of 
8, 9 absent (rarely present in exceptional individuals). Hind- 
wings with veins 3 and 4 approximated at base, 5 from middle 
of transverse vein, parallel to 4, 6 and 7 connate or stalked, 8 
connected by oblique bar with margin of cell before middle, more 
or less approximaitled to 7 near beyond cell. (Plate B., fig. 12, 
13.) 
The very handsome and conspicuous assemblage of 
insects comprised in this family is inadequately repre- 
sented in New Zealand by only two very wide-ranging 
species. These cannot be regarded as belonging to the 
original fauna, but must rather be looked upon as immi- 
erants. In Europe and elsewhere the family is repre- 
sented by many splendid and interesting insects. About 
sixty species of Sphingidae have been recorded from the 
Palaearctic Region of which twenty-seven are found in 
Europe, and of these about ten are true natives of the 
British Isles. 
The Hawk-moths may be readily known by their stout 
bodies, narrow rigid wings, fusiform antennae, and rapid 
erepuscular flight. The larvae are distinguished by the 
presence of a curved horn on the back of the last segment 
of the body. 
Two genera are represented in New Zealand :— 
1. SPHINX. 2. DEILEPHILA. 
Genus 1—SPHINX, L. 
Tongue strongly developed. Antennae less than one-half, 
gradually thickened to apex, then pointed, apex slender, hooked. 
Thorax with low double posterior tuft. Abdomen smooth, broad, 
conical, pointed. Tibiae with appressed scales. 
A moderately large genus, ranging over the whole 
world, but principally characteristic of America. Imago 
flying at dusk, feeding on the wing. 
This genus is represented in New Zealand by one 
almost cosmopolitan species. 
SPHINX CONVOLVULI. 
(Sphing convolvuli, L., Sys. Nat. 1, 490; Meyr.,,Trans. N.Z. 
Inst., xxii., 213; roseofasciata, Koch., Ind. Aust. Lep. 54; Proto- 
parce distans, Butl, Cat. N.Z. Lep. 4, pl. ii, 11.) 
(Plate VI., fig. 16 9.) 
This handsome insect often occurs in the northern 
portions of the North Island, but becomes rare and 
irregular in its appearance southward of Napier and New 
Plymouth. In the South Island it has been taken occa- 
sionally at Blenheim, Nelson, Hokitika and Christchurch. 
In the autumn of 1925 it seems to have been comparatively 
common as far south as the latitude of Nelson. 
The expansion of the wings is about 34 inches. The fore- 
wings are grey speckled with darker; there are several irregular 
darker grey marks near the base and, in the male, a large cloudy 
blackish-grey costal patch near the middle; there is a faint series 
of strongly toothed markings beyond the middle. The hind-wings 
are greyish-black with two cloudy paler terminal and sub-term- 
inal bands. The head and thorax are dark grey, paler on the 
back. The abdomen is grey, striped on the sides with rose-colour, 
black and white. 
The larva feeds on Convolvulus. Like many of the 
caterpillars of the Sphingidae, there are two very distinct 
varieties: one is bright green, with white spiracles, and 
a series of diagonal yellow lines above them; the other is 
dull yellowish-brown, with broad blackish-brown dorsal 
and ventral lines, and a series of triangular blackish spots 
above the spiracles, which in this variety are jet-black. In 
both these forms of larvae the anal horn is dark red tipped 
with black, and the skin is covered with numerous fine 
wrinkles. The length of the caterpillar when full grown 
is 384 inches. 
About the middle or end of February these larvae 
gencrally bury themselves in the ground, where they are 
transformed into pupae. They remain in that condition 
until the following summer. 
The pupa is about two inches in length and is of a 
dark mahogany-brown colour. It is furnished with a large 
curved process, projecting from the lower side of the head, 
and containing the enormous proboscis of the future moth. 
The perfect insect appears in November and December. 
It flies with ineredible velocity at evening dusk, and is 
often observed hovering over flowers, and whilst poised in 
the air above them, extracts the honey with its long pro- 
boscis. 
This species occurs throughout Hurope, Asia, Africa, 
Australia, the Pacific Islands and America, wherever a 
suitable situation is found, and has been met with far out 
at sea. It is thus practically cosmopolitan. There are 
slight geographical variations in specimens obtained from 
widely distant areas, but insufficient to warrant specific 
separation. 
Mr. Howes reports that a specimen of the closely 
allied Sphing ligustri was taken at Titahi Bay, near Wel- 
lington.* 

* Naturalization of Plants and Animals in N.Z., 301. 
{4 

