Sphingidae : Macroglossinae
Elephant Hawk-moth
DEILEPHILA elpenor (Linnaeus, 1758)
Elephant Hawk-moth
DEILEPHILA elpenor (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 45-60mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Asia Minor : Central Asia : Japan
UK Distribution: England and Wales-well distributed and common : Scotland-local : Ireland-well distributed : Isle of Man-local : Channel Isles-local and rare
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Woodland : Heathland : Gardens : Hedgerows : Anywhere that Rosebay Willowherb grows
Similar Species -
Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon among plant litter or on the ground
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: This moth is definitely unmistakeable in its pink and olive green forewing and it pink and black hindwing.The thorax and abdomen are the same pink and olive green but it also has a pink stripe down the abdomen.
Although at first glance the Small Elephant Hawk-moth D.porcellus look similar to this moth, it is smaller and is marked in green and yellow.
The moth is attracted to light and is a regular visitor to the light trap where it can be found sometimes in quite large numbers.
The moth is also feeds at flowers usually whilst in flight.
The larva is often found in gardens feeding on Fuschia.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Asia Minor : Central Asia : Japan
UK Distribution: England and Wales-well distributed and common : Scotland-local : Ireland-well distributed : Isle of Man-local : Channel Isles-local and rare
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = >300 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
- Sphinx elpenor Linnaeus, 1758
- Sphinx elpenor Linnaeus, 1758
- Not Specified
Habitat: Woodland : Heathland : Gardens : Hedgerows : Anywhere that Rosebay Willowherb grows
Similar Species -
- Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus Linnaeus, 1758
Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon among plant litter or on the ground
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: This moth is definitely unmistakeable in its pink and olive green forewing and it pink and black hindwing.The thorax and abdomen are the same pink and olive green but it also has a pink stripe down the abdomen.
Although at first glance the Small Elephant Hawk-moth D.porcellus look similar to this moth, it is smaller and is marked in green and yellow.
The moth is attracted to light and is a regular visitor to the light trap where it can be found sometimes in quite large numbers.
The moth is also feeds at flowers usually whilst in flight.
The larva is often found in gardens feeding on Fuschia.
Photo Gallery
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.
- Araceae - Arum Family
- Calla palustris - Water Arum
- Asteraceae - Compositae - Aster - Daisy - Sunflower Family
- Taraxacum officinale - Common Dandelion
- Balsaminaceae - Balsam Family
- Impatiens glandulifera - Jewelweed
- Impatiens noli-tangere - Touch-Me-Not
- Impatiens parviflora - No common name
- Impatiens walleriana - Busy Lizzie
- Lythraceae - Loosestrife Family
- Lythrum salicaria - Purple Loosestrife
- Menyanthaceae - Bogbean Family
- Menyanthes trifoliata - Bogbean
- Onagraceae - Evening Primrose Family
- Circaea lutetiana - Enchanter's Nightshade
- Epilobium angustifolium - Rosebay Willow-herb
- Epilobium hirsutum - Great Willowherb
- Epilobium palustra - Marsh Willowherb
- Epilobium parviflorum - Smallflower Hairy Willowherb
- Epilobium roseum - Pale Willowherb
- Oenothera biennis - Evening Primrose
- Rubiaceae - Bedstraw Family
- Galium aparine - Goosegrass - Cleavers
- Galium boreale - Northern Bedstraw
- Galium mullugo - Hedge Bedstraw
- Galium spurium - False Cleavers
- Galium sylvaticum - Wood Bedstraw
- Galium uliginosum - Fen Bedstraw
- Galium verum - Lady's Bedstraw
- Vitaceae - Grapevine - Virginia Creeper Family
- Vitis vinifera - Grape
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Onagraceae - Clarkia - Godetia / Fuchsia / Oenothera - Evening Primrose Family
- Polygonaceae - Polygonum - Knotweed & Knotgrasses
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Vitis vinifera - Grape
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Subtribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - DEILEPHILA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Genus Names: Nominotypical Subspecies: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Aberrations: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Bombycoidea Sphingidae Macroglossinae Macroglossini Choerocampina DEILEPHILA Laspeyres 1809 Deilephila elpenor (Linnaeus, 1758) - Sphinx elpenor (Linnaeus, 1758) - SPHINX elpenor (Linnaeus, 1758) = Sphinx porcus Retzius, 1783 = Elpenor vitis Oken, 1815 = Chaerocampa lewisii Butler, 1875 = cinerescens Newnham, 1900) = Theretra porcellus clara Tutt, 1904 = obsoleta Tutt, 1904 = pallida Tutt, 1904 = unicolor Tutt, 1904 = virgata Tutt, 1904 = vautrini Austaut, 1907 = daubi Niepelt, 1908 = hades Rebel, 1910 = alboradiata Lambillion, 1913 = philipsi Niepelt, 1921 = scheiderbaueri Gschwandner, 1924 = lugens Niepelt, 1926 = argentea Burrau, 1950 = szechuana Chu & Wang, 1980 = tristis Lempke & Stolk, 1986 - = DEILEPHILA Laspeyres 1809 = Chaerocampa auct. = Choerocampa Duponchel 1835 = Cinogon Butler 1881 = Dilephila Hampson 1893 = Dilephila Kuznetsova 1906 = Dilophila Agassiz 1846 = Elpenor Agassiz 1846 = Metopsilus Duncan 1836 - SPHINX elpenor elpenor Linnaeus, 1758 - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.491 - n. 15 - Not Specified - D.e.f.pallida Tutt, 1904-Forewing lacking pink D.e.f.daubei Niepelt, 1908-Almost brown - D.e.macromera Butler, 1875-Nepal, northeastern India, Bhutan, northern Burma and Tibet. D.e.elpenor Linnaeus 1758 |