A checklist of the hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) of the Cayman Islands: with implications for the pollination of the ghost orchid Dendrophylax fawcettii Rolfe (Orchidaceae: Angraecinae) and consideration of bat predation
Author
Rose-Smyth, M. C.
Verdant Isle Orchid Research P. O. Box 2818, Grand Cayman, KY 1 - 1112 Cayman Islands
Author
Askew, R. R.
Le Bourg est, St Marcel du Périgord, 24510 France
Author
van, P. A.
P. O. Box 1771, Grand Cayman
Author
Stafford, B.
, KY 1 - 1109 Cayman Islands
Author
Simon, M. J.
6911 SW 137 Ave., Archer, Florida 32618, U. S. A.
Author
Goss, G. J.
8828 SE Sharon St., Hobe Sound, Florida 33455, U. S. A.
Author
Rozycki, R.
5830 S. McVicker St., Chicago, Illinois U. S. A.
text
Insecta Mundi
2022
2022-05-27
2022
933
1
27
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.7167943
1942-1354
7167943
E57614B3-ED85-4910-98E3-65BB323863D
Pachylia ficus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Not recorded by
Jordan
(1940) or Askew (1980).
Prior record
Grand Cayman
specimens in the Natural History Museum London, accessioned 1911, collected by T.M. Savage English (Askew 1994). These specimens were probably collected in
George Town
(Savage English 1916).
Later records
Grand Cayman
viii.1968
George Town
(Wayne Klopp, MPM)
29.vi.1970
unlocalised (F.D. Bennett, UWIZM)
vii.1982
1♂
George Town
(D.R. Askew, RRA)
1985
1♂
George Town
MRCU light trap (RRA)
Pre-1989 unlocalised (Richard Ground, P) (Ground 1989, p. 15)
vii.1992
1♂
George Town
(Askew, RRA)
28.i.2005
George Town
sunset, nectaring flowers of
Tecoma stans
(shamrock) (Stafford, P)
30.vi.2005
unlocalised, reared on fig (S. Frederick, DAGC)
11.ii.2006
Mastic Trail south end at rest on tree trunk (Askew)
26.viii.2007
George Town
(Stafford)
15.i.2008
Bodden Town
at rest in porch (Askew)
25.ii.2009
Lower Valley at rest in Agricultural Pavilion (Askew)
7.iii.2009
Bodden Town
at rest in porch (Askew)
19.vii.2011
Valley Gardens 20:15, on porch wall, examined and released (Rose-Smyth)
27.viii.2011
Agriculture Grounds 08:
42 larvae
on
Maclura tinctoria
(L.) D. Don ex Steud (fustic tree) (RoseSmyth, P)
19.xii.2011
George Town
, Mary St., early evening, larva on undercroft pillar of office building (Rose-Smyth)
10.i.2012
Valley Gardens 18:25 at ornamental
Ixora
dusk (Rose-Smyth, P)
29.xii.2012
Agriculture Grounds 11:59, larva being eaten by
Coccyzus minor
Gmelin (Cuculidae)
(mangrove cuckoo) (Yves-Jacques Rey-Millet, P)
Fig. 5
.
23.ii.2013
Valley Gardens 7:02, in flowering
Broughtonia
R. Br.
hybrid orchid, shifted to nearby stems when watered and remained all day, departure at dusk not observed (Rose-Smyth, P)
9.iii.2013
George Town
emerged from pupa found
22.ii.2013
at base of
M. tinctoria
(Stafford)
28.vi.2015
1♀
Valley Gardens 22:10, on porch wall (Rose-Smyth, P).
09.viii.2015
1♀
Valley Gardens dusk, at yellow
Allamanda
spp
(Rose-Smyth)
24.viii.2015
1♀
Valley Gardens 18:57-21:46 at wet
Ixora
and at uv light (Rose-Smyth, P)
16.iii.2016
1♀
Valley Gardens 8:15, ragged margins forewing (Rose-Smyth, P)
08.iv.2016
1♀
Valley Gardens 07:17, in west orchid house, worn individual hanging on cultivated orchid (Rose-Smyth, P)
16.iv.2016
Valley Gardens 8:00 in orchid house, fresh bright individual hanging on same plant as the prior (Rose-Smyth, P)
01 &
02.i.2017
Valley Gardens, dusk, at white
Ixora
(Rose-Smyth)
23.i.2017
Valley Gardens 20:50, on wall (Rose-Smyth, P)
17.vi.2017
Valley Gardens 19:03, at white
Ixora
(Rose-Smyth, P)
25.vi.2017
Colliers (SGR) 11:00 appearing to be searching for oviposition sites.
10.ii.2018
1♀
Valley Gardens 19:59, on wall (Rose-Smyth, P)
13.ii.2018
Valley Gardens 21:26, at uv light; worn forewing (Rose-Smyth, P)
15.ii.2018
1♀
Valley Gardens 20:00, at uv light (Rose-Smyth, MCR).
01.iv.2018
Valley Gardens 19:27, uv light, left forewing tip torn (Rose-Smyth, P)
05.iv.2018
1♂
Valley Gardens 21:46, at uv light (Rose-Smyth, P, MCR)
Fig. 6
.
07.v.2018
2 Valley Gardens 21:09, at uv light (Rose-Smyth, P)
Madoryx pseudothyreus
(Grote, 1865)
Askew (1980)
Little Cayman
4 unsexed
10–30.vii.1975
Pirates Point in mv light trap (present location unknown),
1♂
28.vii.1975
central forest south of Sparrowhawk Hill in mv light trap (RRA).
Later records
None found.
The
five specimens
of
M. pseudothyreus
collected by Askew (1980) in Little Cayman remain the only known examples of the species in the
Cayman Islands
. The species is of limited distribution in
Cuba
, South Florida and nearby islands (Tuttle 2007) and recently confirmed to comprise three allopatric subspecies:
pseudothyreus
,
floridensis
, and
bahamensis
(Melichar and Řezáč 2013). With only one individual now remaining available for comparison it is not possible to assign a subspecies designation to the Little Cayman specimen. The larval food plant is, unusually for the genus,
Avicennia germinans
(black mangrove), and the larvae pupate in cocoons attached to branches of the host plant above the salt water in which they grow (Minno and Emmel 1990). Careful searching for larvae might result in this species being recorded from Grand Cayman. The larval food plant does not occur in Cayman Brac (Proctor 2012).
Aellopos tantalus zonata
(Drury, 1773)
Jordan
(1940)
Grand Cayman
attributed to
Sesia tantalus zonata
(Drury 1773)
,
1♀
10.vii.1938
Hut Road. Askew (1980)
Little Cayman
2
28.vii.1975
central forest south of Sparrowhawk Hill flying at dusk of which
1♂
in collection (RRA).
Later records
Grand Cayman
13.viii.1968
George Town
, specimen of
Aellopos
, identified to genus only, Wayne Klopp (MPM)
summer 1997 Newlands (F.J. Burton, NTCI)
27.xi.2004
George Town
nectaring at
Bauhinia divaricata
L. (bull-hoof) (Stafford)
13.xii.2004
at cultivated
Vitex agnus-castus
L. (Carla Reid, P)
31.i.2006
High Rock (RRA)
8.ii.2006
Botanic Park (Askew)
14.vi.2008
Lords Way, Prospect,
George Town
(Tracy Galvin, DEGC)
23.ii.2009
Bodden Town
(Askew)
22.xii.2010
Valley Gardens 07:00, at white
Ixora
(Rose-Smyth)
02.vii.2011
Valley Gardens 07:00, trapped in orchid gazebo, captured, inspected and released, the same or another individual seen in afternoon (Rose-Smyth)
10.vii.2011
North Side
, Mastic Trail 10:07 (Stuart Mailer, P)
26.viii.2011
Valley Gardens, in orchid gazebo, flew into adjacent cultivated pink
Bouganvillea
Comm. ex Juss. (Rose-Smyth)
28.xi.2011
at cultivated red
Ixora
(Michael Austin, P)
07.i.2012
Valley Gardens (Rose-Smyth) 07:00–7:30, nectaring on pink
Bouganvillea
(Rose-Smyth)
23 &
24.ii.2013
Valley Gardens, early morning each time, in west shrubs and white
Ixora
(Rose-Smyth)
07.i.2015
Valley Gardens, morning (Rose-Smyth)
28.vi.2015
Lower Valley, Lottery Rd. (Rose-Smyth, MCR)
5.xi.2015
Colliers Wilderness Road at yellow
Asteraceae
flowers (Askew)
26.vi.2017
Colliers (SGR)
25.iii.2018
Valley Gardens 18:00, released from ceiling of orchid gazebo (Rose-Smyth)
06.vi.2018
Lower Valley, Lottery Rd. (near Agricultural Grounds) 16:30–17:
30 in
mixed secondary growth (Rose-Smyth)
03.ix.2019
Lower Valley, Lottery Rd. (near Agricultural Grounds) 09:05 nectaring at
Croton linearis
Jacq. (Rosemary)
(Rose-Smyth)
Little Cayman
2008 Nature Trail (Frank Roulstone III)
ii.2009
nectaring at
Suriana maritima
L. (jennifer/bay cedar) flowers (Frank Roulstone III)
21.vi.2017
Coppice Rd., east (SGR)