Hyles lineata in AZ.

Pierre A Plauzoles ae779 at lafn.org
Fri Aug 21 01:30:09 EDT 1998


In a previous article, trgarden at frontiernet.net ("Tom Middagh") says:

>I was in Southern Arizona a couple weeks ago and the area has had above
>average rainfall.  I am not familiar with this area but I was told that it
>is not a common thing to be wet and green this time of year.
>      I was wondering if these conditions would produce a bumper crop of
>insects next year.  I just was amazed at the polulation level of the white
>line sphinx larva.  Any area that had a foodplant had at least a half dozen
>larva per square foot some times more.  These areas would be along little
>used roads that went for very long distances.  If predation is not keeping
>up things are going to be thick at night in AZ in 1999.

Hello.

I don't know how things are going along in Arizona for the white-lined 
sphinx, but I do know there are roadrunners in Arizona (in fact, isn't it 
the state bird?), but in Malibu (here on the coast just west-northwest of 
Los Angeles), the roadrunner is a very voracious predator of this 
species.  I imagine the same situation would exist anywhere the bird and 
the moth are found together.  By the way, just where were you, if I may 
ask, and were there also other sphingids as well?

Thank you.

-- 
Pierre Plauzoles   ae779 at lafn.org
Canoga Park, California


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