Seq # 570360010

Macroglossum stellatarum (Linnaeus, 1758) Species

Last modified: March 23, 2024, 3:13 p.m.


A very common migrant in Belgium.
The species is able to hibernate as an adult during mild winters.


Details

Classification
Family: Sphingidae > Subfamily: Macroglossinae > Tribus: Macroglossini > Genus: Macroglossum > Species: Macroglossum stellatarum
Vernacular names
Kolibrievlinder (NL), Hummingbird Hawkmoth (EN), Le Moro-Sphinx, Le Sphinx du Caille-Lait (FR), Taubenschwänzchen (DE)
First mention in Belgium
De Sélys-Longchamps E. 1837. Catalogue des Lépidoptères ou Papillons de la Belgique, précédé du tableau des Libellulines de ce pays. — — : 1–29. On page 22 (as Macroglossa Stellatarum). view page
Status

Migrant In Belgium since July 1837.

A very common migrant in Belgium, and present every year, occasionally in large numbers.


Distribution


Imago

Wingspan: 45 mm - 50 mm.

Museum specimens


Specimens in nature


Caterpillar


Cocoon/pupa


Bionomics

Eggs are laid singly on the underside of leaves ans flowers of the host plant. Pupation in a flimsy cocoon nearby the soil among foliage or in leaf litter.
Adult moths visit flowers of a.o. Lonicera spp., Phlox spp. and Saponaria spp. They are active during the day and use to 'sunbade' in front of warm walls or rocks while flying. During mild winters the species is able to hibernate as an adult in sheltered places like outbuildings, crevices and holes in walls and trees and it will probably become a breeding resident in small numbers in near future.
It comes occasionally to light.


Flight periods

The adults have been observed from February till November, but most specimens are usually seen from May till September.


Observed on

Host plant (genera):
Rubia and Galium

The larva lives on Galium spp. and Rubia spp.

No pictures yet!