Sphingidae : Smerinthinae
Eyed Hawk-moth
SMERINTHUS ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Eyed Hawk-moth
SMERINTHUS ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: Male - 65 - 75mm Female - 70 - 85mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - ( Excluding - Azores, Balearic Is.,Canary Is.,Crete,Cyprus,Madeira & Malta) : From Europe to western Siberia,Middle East : North Africa
UK Distribution: England and Wales to Cumbria and Yorkshire - widely distributed,fairly frequent : south west Scotland - very local : Isle of Man - local : Channel Isles - Widely distributed but occasional
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Gardens : Orchards : River sides : Parks : Scrub : Woodland
Similar Species -
Pupa: Pupates below soil
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: An unmistakable moth with its eye-spots on pink hindwing which are exposed when disturbed and are diagnostic.Also when disturbed they rock to and fro in a motion that is known to disturb birds.
Similar to Poplar hawk-moth although the cross lines of the Eyed Hawk-moth tend to be stronger and more defined.
Forewings are in different shades of brown forming good camouflage against trees trunks etc until disturbance exposes the hindwing eye-spot.
Moth is attracted to light but only in small numbers
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - ( Excluding - Azores, Balearic Is.,Canary Is.,Crete,Cyprus,Madeira & Malta) : From Europe to western Siberia,Middle East : North Africa
UK Distribution: England and Wales to Cumbria and Yorkshire - widely distributed,fairly frequent : south west Scotland - very local : Isle of Man - local : Channel Isles - Widely distributed but occasional
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = > 300 10km squares
- Least Concern
- Sphinx ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Sphinx ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Sweden - Updala
Habitat: Gardens : Orchards : River sides : Parks : Scrub : Woodland
Similar Species -
- None
Pupa: Pupates below soil
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: An unmistakable moth with its eye-spots on pink hindwing which are exposed when disturbed and are diagnostic.Also when disturbed they rock to and fro in a motion that is known to disturb birds.
Similar to Poplar hawk-moth although the cross lines of the Eyed Hawk-moth tend to be stronger and more defined.
Forewings are in different shades of brown forming good camouflage against trees trunks etc until disturbance exposes the hindwing eye-spot.
Moth is attracted to light but only in small numbers
Photo Gallery
Larva
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website where further information like photos,physical characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Adoxaceae - Viburnum Family
- Viburnum opulus - Guelder Rose
- Betulaceae - The Birch Family
- Alnus glutinosa - Alder
- Alnus incana - Grey Alder
- Corylus avellana - Hazel
- Oleceae - Mesophytic Shrubs - Trees - Vines
- Ligustrum vulgare - Common Privet - European Privet
- Rosaceae - The Rose Family
- Malus domestica - Apple
- Malus pumila - Paradise Apple
- Malus sylvestris - Crab Apple
- Prunus cerasus - Sour Cherry
- Prunus padus - Bird Cherry - Hackberry
- Prunus persica - Peach
- Pyrus communis - Wild Pear
- Salicaceae - Willow Family
- Populus balsamifera - Balsam Poplar
- Populus nigra - Black Poplar - Lombardy Poplar (ssp italia)
- Populus tremula - Aspen Poplar
- Salix alba - White Willow
- Salix aurita - Eared Sallow
- Salix babylonica - Weeping Willow
- Salix caprea - Goat Willow
- Salix cinerea - Grey Willow
- Salix fragilis - Crack Willow
- Salix myrsinifolia - Dark-leaved Willow
- Salix phylicifolia - Tealeaf Willow
- Salix repens - Creeping Willow
- Salix viminalis - Osier
Larval Food Plants
|
|
|
Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - SMERINTHUS: Original Species Name: Species Names: Genus Names: Nominotypical subspecies: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Subspecies: Forms - Nominate subspecies only |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Bombycoidea Sphingidae Smerinthinae Smerinthini SMERINTHUS Latreille 1802 Smerinthus ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758) - Sphinx ocellata Linnaeus, 1758 - SPHINX ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758) = Smerinthus ocellatus (Linnaeus, 1758) = Sphinx semipavo Retzius, 1783 = Sphinx salicis Hübner, 1796 = Smerinthus ocellata cinerascens Staudinger, 1879 = ocellatus auct. - SMERINTHUS Latreille 1802 = Bellia Tutt 1902 = Bellinca Strand 1943 = Copismerinthus Kirby 1892= Daddia Tutt 1902 = Eusmerinthus Grote 1877 = Merinthus Meigen 1830 = Nicholsonia Tutt 1902 = Niia Strand 1943 = Bebroptera Sodoffsky 1837 = Dilina Dalman 1816 - Sphinx ocellata ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758) - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.489 - n.1 - Sweden - Updala - S.o.occelata (Linnaeus, 1758) - Nominate subspecies S.o.atlanticus Austaut 1890 - North-West Africa - larger & lighter coloured,hindwing pinker colour S.o.protai (Speidel & Kaltenbach, 1981) - Sardinia - S.o.f.rosea Bartel, 1900 - forewing yellowish brown, hindwing brighter pink S.o.f.pallida Tutt, 1902 - forewing light grey, hindwing partly red S.o.f.albescens Tutt, 1902 - back white on all wings S.o.f.caucus Tutt, 1902 - eye spot reduced to black triangular spot S.o.f.viridocellata Lempke, 1959 - eye spot blue part replaced by greenish hue S.o.f.parvocellata Lempke, 1959 - eye spot smaller |