Xylophanes loelia male courtesy of Paolo Mazzei.

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TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Macroglossinae, Harris, 1839 Tribe: Macroglossini, Harris, 1839 Genus: Xylophanes Hubner [1819] ........... Species: loelia Druce, 1878

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DISTRIBUTION:

Xylophanes loelia (approxiate wingspan: males: 66-74mm; females: 70-72 mm) fly from
southwestern Belize: Cayo; to
Nicaragua;
Costa Rica; and
Panama; to
Colombia: Meta; Cundinamarca (RTN)
Venezuela;
Suriname: Sipaliwini District: Palumeu;
French Guiana: Kaw;
Ecuador;
Peru to
Bolivia: Beni: Yacuma (300-800m); Santa Cruz: Santa Cruz (350m);
Brazil;
Argentina: Misiones: Iguazu.

They may also be in Paraguay: (possibly Itapua (WO??)).

I expect it also flies in Guyana.

heinrichi Closs, 1917, Peru, is the same as Xylophanes loelia.

Xylophanes loelia, Cundinamarca, Colombia,
74 mm, November 9, 2010, courtesy of Rodrigo Torrez Nunez.

Xylophanes loelia (verso), Cundinamarca, Colombia,
74 mm, November 9, 2010, courtesy of Rodrigo Torrez Nunez.

Xylophanes loelia, Palumeu, Sipaliwini District, Suriname,
July 11, 2011, courtesy of Johan van't Bosch.

Xylophanes loelia is intermediate between Xylophanes libya and Xylophanes neoptolemus, but has a closer resemblance to the latter.

The hindwing of X. loelia is narrower than in Xylophanes libya.

Compared to Xylophanes libya, this species lacks a black dot in discal cell opposite CuA2, and a subapical costal dot is only rarely indicated.

Xylophanes loelia male, courtesy of Hubert Mayer copyright.

Forewing underside as in Xylophanes libya but: first postmedian line thin, continuous, more oblique and not as dark (occasionally absent); second and third postmedian lines faintly indicated; fourth postmedian line not as conspicuous. Hindwing upperside with median band redder than in Xylophanes libya but paler than in Xylophanes neoptolemus, reaching the costal margin and with an irregular inner edge; marginal band more even than in Xylophanes libya, narrow, sharply defined, not dentate near M2. Hindwing underside with postmedian lines straighter than in Xylophanes libya, not divided into spots; inner edge of marginal band more even and continuous than in Xylophanes libya, less basally projecting between M1 and M3. Outer spur of midtibia always longer than inner, but often not conspicuously so, especially in the female.

Mark Vincent has advised me that those specimens from Minas Gerais, Brazil, previously thought to be X. loelia, are now designated as Xylophanes lolita.

Xylophanes loelia, COLOMBIA Depto Meta,
Villavicencio, km 13 via Acacias, 04°03’55.0 N 073°41’87.0 W;
500m 28- ii-2011 leg. G. Nielsen

The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

Jean Marie Cadiou writes, "When I say "Xylophanes" in English I pronounce it something like "Zailophanees", with the emphasis on the "o". The French pronounce it differently, something like "Kzeelophaness" with no emphasis, and the Germans yet in a different way..."

"Xylophanes" sounds like it is from Greek mythology.

Loelia may have been chosen for Laelia, one of the vestal virgins.

FLIGHT TIMES:

Xylophanes loelia, adults probably brood continuously with pupae emerging after rains. In Costa Rica moths have been taken in every month of the year. Ezequiel Nunez Bustos reports a November flight in Misiones, Argentina. Gregory Nielsen reports a February 28, 2011, flight in Meta, Colombia. Rodrigo Torres Nunez reports a November 9-10, 2010, flight in Cundinamarca, Colombia. Specimens have been taken in French Guiana in February. Johan van't Bosch reports a July flight in southern Suriname.

Xylophanes loelia, Osununu Private Reserve, Misiones, Argentina,
November 24, 2009, courtesy of Ezequiel Nunez Bustos.

ECLOSION:

Pupae probably wiggle to surface from subterranean chambers just prior to eclosion.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in the males with a pheromone released from a gland at the tip of the abdomen. Males come in to lights very readily, but females are seldom taken in that way.

Xylophanes loelia female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larvae probably feed on Psychotria horizontalis, Psychotria nervosa, and Psychotria microdon of the Rubiaceae family.

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