Dilophonotini Burmeister, 1878

Rose-Smyth, M. C., Askew, R. R., van, P. A., Stafford, B., Simon, M. J., Goss, G. J. & Rozycki, R., 2022, 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, Insecta Mundi 2022 (933), pp. 1-27 : 19-22

Tribe Dilophonotini Burmeister, 1878

Pseudosphinx tetrio (Linnaeus, 1771)

Jordan (1940) Grand Cayman 1♂ 29.vi.1938 East End, 1♂ 09.viii.1938 Georgetown ; Little Cayman 4♀♀ collected on ‘jasmine’ as larvae, pupated 05–07.vi.1938 emerged 25–27.vi.1938 Cross-the-Land Road (west end). Askew (1980) Little Cayman 5 10–30.vii.1975 Pirates Point of which 1♀ on 19.vii and 1♀ on 30.vii.1975 at mv light, and 1♂ 25.vii.1975 at house light ( RRA), larvae on frangipani ( Plumeria sp. Apocynaceae ) .

Later records

Grand Cayman

06.ix.1997 Hutland, 2 reared from larvae on Plumeria obtusa L. (Mars Van Liefde, NTCI)

ii.1998 North Side (Mars Van Liefde, NTCI)

24–31.vii.2002 George Town, larvae on Plumeria sp. (Stafford)

2004 George Town, larvae on Plumeria sp. (Courtney Platt)

4.ii.2004 George Town (Stafford)

14.i.2012 George Town, Websters Estates early-stage larvae on Plumeria sp. (Rose-Smyth)

26.vii.2012 North Side, larva (iNaturalist #1212618, Mark Rosenstein, P)

8.iii, 10 & 11.v.2014 George Town (Stafford)

18.x.2014 Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, larva (iNaturalist #15803185, David J. Ringer, P)

12.ii.2016 Grand Harbour, Hurley’s parking lot, 17:00 dead (Stuart Mailer, MCR)

28.i.2017 Valley Gardens 20:30–22:00, during new moon, many moths and bats at flowering silk cotton tree ( Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn., Malvaceae ); uv light under mango 10 meters from the cotton tree (RoseSmyth, P, MCR)

27.v.2017 Colliers Wilderness Reserve, mature larvae on Plumeria obtusa and searching for pupation sites

(Rose-Smyth, P)

21 & 26.vi.2017 Colliers (SGR)

June and July 2018 Valley Gardens, mature larvae on Plumeria cultivar (Rose-Smyth)

3, 17.viii.2018 Valley Gardens adults, uv light (Rose-Smyth, P, MCR)

20.vi.2019 North Side, larva (iNaturalist #27360229, P)

13.x.2019 North Side, larva (iNaturalist #34798240, P)

Cayman Brac

18.x.2006 Eastern Bluff, Lighthouse trail, mature larvae on Plumeria obtusa (Rose-Smyth, P, MCR)

19.x.2010 on the Bluff above Stake Bay, larva (iNaturalist #3568565, Alan Franck, P)

12.vii.2018 Arlin Reid Dr., north of Cayman Brac Power and Light plant 11:15, mature larva on shrubs, under Plumeria obtusa tree (Rose-Smyth, P)

07.xii.2018 Eastern Bluff, Lighthouse trail, larva (iNaturalist #25791484, P)

24.iii.2019 Eastern Bluff, Lighthouse trail, larva (iNaturalist #24890580, P)

31.i.2020 Valley Gardens (Rose-Smyth, P, MCR)Little Cayman

21.vi.2017 Coppice Rd., east (SGR

The native larval food plant is Plumeria obtusa (jasmine, frangipani) ( Apocynaceae ). In the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park the endemic blue iguana ( Cyclura lewisi (Grant) Burton , Reptilia: Iguanidae ), which is ordinarily ground-dwelling as an adult, has been observed to climb into a tree to feed on P.tetrio larvae (Goodman 2007) and to congregate under trees when fully grown larvae are descending to pupate (Andrew Guthrie pers. comm, 8.ii.2008). Consumption of P.tetrio larvae has been recorded in two other West Indian cyclurids, C. cornuta (Bonnaterre) (Hispaniolan rhinoceros iguana) and C. stejnegeri Barbour & Noble (Mona Island rhinoceros iguana) (Hines 2016).

Isognathus rimosa rimosa (Grote, 1865)

Not recorded by Jordan (1940) or Askew (1980).

New records

Grand Cayman

2 21.iii.2002 at North Sound Estates (Joan Steer, DAGC)

16.v.2014 Valley Gardens 06:00, east side (Rose-Smyth, P)

20.ii.2016 North Side, northern end of Mastic Trail, found dead (Stuart Mailer, MCR)

20.i.2017 Valley Gardens 06:00, west side (Rose-Smyth, P, MCR)

5, 27.i.2017 at Valley Gardens 20:30-22:00, during new moon, many moths and bats at flowering silk cotton tree ( Ceiba pentandra ); uv light under mango 10 meters from the cotton tree (Rose-Smyth, P, MCR) Fig. 2.

3, 28.i.2017 at Valley Gardens 20:30-21:30, as above (Rose-Smyth, P, MCR)

29.i.2017 Valley Gardens 20:30-21:30, as above (P, Rose-Smyth, MCR)

24.vi.2017 Colliers (SGR)

27.vi.2017 East End, Compass Point (SGR)

17.viii.2018 Valley Gardens 20:50, west side (Rose-Smyth, P)

05.ix.2018 Valley Gardens 04:40, west side (Rose-Smyth, P, MCR)

11.ii.2021 George Town, Leguinea Circle, larva on Plumeria cultivar (Coote, P)

Erinnyis alope alope (Drury, 1773)

Jordan (1940) Cayman Brac 1♂ 1♀ 18.v.1938, 1♀ 26.v.1938 Stakes Bay at female flowers of paw-paw [ Carica papaya L.] at dusk.

Later records

Grand Cayman pre-2004 2 without data (NTCI)

2008 without locality (DEGC)

12.v.2010 North Side, Mastic Trail 10:37, larva, food plant not identified (Stuart Mailer, P)

04.i.2015 George Town larva, pupated and eclosed on 23.i.2015 (Jonathan Bodden, P)

05.i.2017 Valley Gardens 18:18, at ornamental white Ixora L. (Christine Rose-Smyth, P)

2017 Valley Gardens (Rose-Smyth, MCR)

26.vi.2017 Colliers (SGR)

Erinnyis ello ello (Linnaeus, 1758)

Jordan (1940) Grand Cayman 2♀♀ 15 & 17.vii.1938 Hut Road , 1♀ Georgetown. Cayman Brac 26.v.1938 Stakes Bay , on male flowers of paw-paw [ Carica papaya ]. Askew (1980). Little Cayman 10–30.vii.1975 Pirates Point, 5 at mv light plus 2♀♀ reared from larvae on Conocarpus erectus L. ( Combretaceae ), 1 pupated 20.vii emerged 3.viii.1975 and 1 pupated 23.vii emerged 6.viii.1975 ( RRA) ; 28.vii.1975 central forest south of Sparrowhawk Hill at mv light .

Later records

Grand Cayman

2, 5 & 9.viii.1968 George Town (Wayne Klopp, MPM)

1985 1♀ George Town mv light trap (RRA) (Askew 1994)

1997 North Side (NTCI)

19.i.2010 1♀ George Town, Mary Street (Rose-Smyth)

24.i.2010 1♂ Valley Gardens 19:30, flew into house (Rose-Smyth, P)

01.vi.2017 1♀ Valley Gardens 21:24 (Rose-Smyth, P, MCR)

24.vi.2017 Colliers (SGR)

Little Cayman

21.vi.2017 Coppice Rd., east (SGR)

The Little Cayman record of rearing on Conocarpus erectus (buttonwood) is one of two such reports, the other in Brevard County Florida (Oehlke 2022a) .

Erinnyis oenotrus (Cramer, 1780)

Jordan (1940) Grand Cayman 1♂ 19.vi.1938 South Sound in light trap.

Later records

Grand Cayman

19.ii.1992 1♀ George Town (Askew, NTCI)

18.ii.1993 1♂ 1.5km south of Hutland, black light in forest (W.E. Steiner, J.W. Swearingen & F.J. Burton, NTCI) ii.1998 wings at Macrotus waterhousii (big-eared bat) roost (NTCI)

1♀, 8.ii.2008 1♀ Old Man Bay (RRA)

05.ix.2009 Valley Gardens 18:52, nectaring at white ornamental Ixora (Rose-Smyth, P)

12.iii.2011 2 unsexed Valley Gardens (Rose-Smyth, P)

14.xii.2012 Valley Gardens (P, Rose-Smyth)

10.ii.2014 Valley Gardens 07:27, on east wall (Rose-Smyth, P)

i.2017 1♂ Valley Gardens (Rose-Smyth, MCR)

24.vi.2017 Colliers (SGR)

27.vi.2017 East End, Compass Point (SGR)

14.ii.2018 Valley Gardens 20:47, at uv light, on west wall (Rose-Smyth, P)

23.ii.2018 Valley Gardens 22:40, at uv light, on west wall (Rose-Smyth, P)

02.vii.2018 Valley Gardens 07:30, in covered shadehouse, on orchid slab (Rose-Smyth, P)

Little Cayman

21.vi.2017 Coppice Rd., east (SGR)

22.vi.2017 Stone Wall Rd. (SGR)

Erinnyis obscura obscura (Fabricius, 1775)

Jordan (1940) Grand Cayman 1♂ 06.v.1938 North Sound Booby Bay (sic) in light trap, 1♂ 01.vii.1938 East End in light trap, 1♀ 1938 Georgetown. Later records

Grand Cayman

14.viii.1968 George Town (Wayne Klopp, MPM)

27.i.2017 Valley Gardens 20:30-22:00, during new moon, many moths and bats at flowering silk cotton tree ( Ceiba pentandra ); uv light under mango 10 meters from the cotton tree (Rose-Smyth, MCR) Fig. 3 .

26.vi.2017 Colliers (SGR)

Little Cayman

22.vi.2017 Stone Wall Rd. (SGR)

Phryxus caicus (Cramer, 1777)

Not recorded by Jordan (1940) or Askew (1980).

New records

Grand Cayman iii.1990 North Side (Mrs Stevens, NTCI)

21.ii.1993 2 3km west of Colliers at black light in cut-over forest near ponds (W.E. Steiner & J.W. Swearingen, NTCI)

xi.1994 unlocalised (Peter Davey, NTCI)

ii. 1998 in Macrotus waterhousii roost (NTCI)

05.ix.2009 Valley Gardens 18:50 dusk, single individual nectaring at cultivated white Ixora at same time as Erinnyis oenotrus (Rose-Smyth, P)

24.viii.2015 Valley Gardens 21:00-21:49, uv light (Rose-Smyth, P), Fig. 4 .

27.i.2017 Valley Gardens 20:30-22:00, during new moon, many moths and bats at flowering silk cotton tree ( Ceiba pentandra ) ; uv light under mango 10 meters from the cotton tree (Rose-Smyth, P, MCR) 27.vi.2017 East End, Compass Point ( SGR)

29.xii.2019 North Side (iNaturalist 37207669, P)

19.i.2020 East End, Compass Point, 18:00 (Ian Mailer, P)

Cayman Brac

30.viii.2013 nectaring at Tecoma stans (Alan Markoff, P)

Little Cayman

24.vi.2017 Pirates Point (SGR)

Figures

Figures 2–7. Cayman Islands Sphingidae. 2) Isognathus rimosa. 3) Erinnyis obscura. 4) Phryxus caicus. 5) Predation of Pachylia ficus larva by Mangrove Cuckoo, Coccyzus minor. 6) Pachylia ficus. 7) Enyo lugubris. Photographic credits: M.C. Rose-Smyth (2, 27.i.2017; 3, 08.viii.2018; 4, 24.xiii.2015, 6, 05.iv.2018; 7, 13.ii.2018), Yves-Jacques Rey-Millet (5, 29.xii.2012).