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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