Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Sphingidae Scientific name Hemaris aksana | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Hemaris Rank Species | |
Similar Hemaris ducalis, Hemaris affinis, Hemaris thetis, Hemaris croatica, Hemaris gracilis | ||
Hemaris aksana, the Atlas bee hawkmoth, is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from the Middle and High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The habitat consists of flower-rich meadows between 1,300 and 2,500 meters.
The wingspan is 44–51 mm. It is a diurnal species. Although mimicking a bumble bee in coloration, its flight is much more rapid and agile. Adults are on wing in March, June and August. At higher altitude, the flight period is the latter half of May or June. Here, there is generally one generation per year, although a partial second generation may occur in August.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on Scabiosa species.
References
Hemaris aksana Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA