Elephant hawk moth

Elephant hawk-moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Deilephila
Species:	D. elpenor
Binomial name
Deilephila elpenor (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Sphinx elpenor Linnaeus, 1758 Chaerocampa lewisii Butler, 1875 Elpenor vitis Oken, 1815 Chaerocampa elpenor alboradiata Lambillion, 1913 Chaerocampa elpenor cinerescens Newnham, 1900 Deilephila elpenor argentea Burrau, 1950 Deilephila elpenor philippsi Niepelt, 1921 Deilephila elpenor tristis Lempke & Stolk, 1986 Deilephila elpenor vautrini Austaut, 1907 Eumorpha elpenor clara Tutt, 1904 Eumorpha elpenor obsoleta Tutt, 1904 Eumorpha elpenor pallida Tutt, 1904 Eumorpha elpenor unicolor Tutt, 1904 Eumorpha elpenor virgata Tutt, 1904 Pergesa elpenor daubi Niepelt, 1908 Pergesa elpenor distincta Meyer, 1969 Pergesa elpenor hades Rebel, 1910 Pergesa elpenor lugens Niepelt, 1926 Pergesa elpenor scheiderbaueri Gschwandner, 1924 Pergesa elpenor szechuana Chu & Wang, 1980

Deilephila elpenor, known as the elephant hawk-moth, is a large moth of the family Sphingidae.

The species is found throughout Britain and Ireland. Its range extends across Europe, Russia, and into China, northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, Japan and Korea (though not Taiwan). Introduced specimens have been found in British Columbia. In most of their range, the adults are seen from May to July and the caterpillars from July to September, when they pupate. However, in some parts of the Mediterranean and China the adults may be seen from April on, sometimes having two broods in a year.

The larva is about 75 millimetres (3.0 in) long, green and brown in colour. Like most hawk moth caterpillars, they have a backward curving spine or "horn" on the final abdominal segment. The anterior of the caterpillar appears to have the shape of a trunk-like snout. It is this elephant look, rather than its large size, that gives the moth its name. When startled, the caterpillar draws its trunk into its foremost body segment. This posture resembles a snake with a large head and four large eye-like patches. Caterpillars are preyed upon by birds, but these shy away (at least for some time) from caterpillars in "snake" pose. It is not known whether the birds take the caterpillar to actually resemble a snake, or are frightened by the sudden change of a familiar prey item into an unusual and boldly-patterned shape.

The preferred food plants of the caterpillar are willowherb (Epilobium) and bedstraw (Galium), though it will also take fuchsias.

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Wikipedia