Pachylia ficus

Pachylia ficus, known as the fig sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It lives across South America from Uruguay through to Central America, and to the southern tip of the United States, straying into Arizona and Texas.^[2]

Fig sphinx
Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Pachylia
Species:	P. ficus
Binomial name
Pachylia ficus (Linnaeus, 1758)[1]
Synonyms
Sphinx ficus Linnaeus, 1758 Pachylia undatifascia Butler, 1876 Pachylia lyncea Clemens, 1859 Chaerocampa crameri Ménétriés, 1857 Pachylia ficus venezuelensis Schaufuss, 1870 Pachylia ficus aterrima (Bönninghausen, 1899)

Description

It has a wingspan of 4+3⁄8–5+1⁄2 inches (110–140 mm), with orange-brown wings.

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  Pachylia ficus male
  Dorsal side MHNT
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  Pachylia ficus male
  △ Ventral side MHNT
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  Pachylia ficus female
  Dorsal side MHNT
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  Pachylia ficus female
  △ Ventral side MHNT
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Biology

There are several generations per year in the tropics, peninsular Florida and southern Texas. Adults have been recorded in February, September and November in Brazil and in June in Panama. The adults feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Asystasia gangetica and the endangered ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii). They also pollinate the ghost orchid.^[3][4]

The larvae have been recorded feeding on Ficus aurea, Ficus carica, Ficus microcarpa, Ficus religiosa, Ficus pumila, Ficus gamelleira, Ficus prinoides, Ficus pumila and Artocarpus integrifolius. There are several colour morphs. Pupation takes place in a cocoon spun amongst leaf litter.