Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Sphingidae Scientific name Hyles livornicoides | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Hyles Rank Species | |
Similar Hyles calida, Hyles zygophylli, Hyles costata, Hyles dahlii, Hyles annei | ||
Hyles livornicoides is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The larvae are known by the common name Yeperenye caterpillar.
Contents
Distribution
It is found in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.
Description
The wingspan is about 60 mm.
Biology
The larvae feed on Portulaca oleracea, Boerhavia diffusa, Boerhavia schomburgkiana, Vitis vinifera and Tribulus terrestris. They are gregarious and live in dense colonies.
The larvae were used as food by Aborigines. They starved the caterpillars for a day or two before roasting them. The cooked larvae were said to have a pleasant savoury taste and could be stored for a long time.
References
Hyles livornicoides Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA