Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Sphingidae Scientific name Laothoe austanti | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Laothoe Rank Species | |
Laothoe austanti, the Maghreb poplar hawkmoth, is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from the Atlas Mountains and coastal plains of Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia and the neighbouring desert areas. The habitat consists of poplar- and willow-lined streams and rivers.
The wingspan is 95–120 mm. It is larger and generally paler than similar Laothoe populi. There is a dark brown form (form brunnea).
There are usually two generations per year, with adults on wing from April to May and again from July to August. In some years there is a third generation.
The larvae feed on Salix and Populus species.
Etymology
Staudinger named the species for Jules Léon Austaut, but made a spelling mistake and named it Smerinthus austanti instead.
References
Laothoe austanti Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA