CYPOIDES CHINENSIS (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903)

Female Cypoides chinensis. Photo: © BMNH Male Cypoides chinensis. Photo: © BMNH Male Cypoides chinensis. Photo: © BMNH

TAXONOMY

Smerinthulus chinensis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903, Novit. zool. 9 (suppl.): 299 (key), 301. Type locality: China, [Fujian, Qingliu County,] Léou-Pang <<Léou Fang>> [Liufang].

Synonym. Enpinanga transtriata Chu & Wang, 1980, Acta zootaxon. sin. 5: 420. Type locality: China, Fujian, Chong'an, 740m.

Note. Chu & Wang (1980) misidentified Cypoides chinensis (Rothschild & Jordan) as L. a. sinica. Other Chinese authors have perpetuated this error.


ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION

Wingspan: 38--43mm. Very like a small, pale L. populi.


Female Cypoides chinensis, Taiwan. Photo: © Felix Lin. Male Cypoides chinensis, Jiucai Ling, Guizhou, China. Photo: © Viktor Sinjaev.

ADULT BIOLOGY


FLIGHT-TIME

China: 9.i (Guangdong); 25-27.i (Hong Kong); iii (Hunan); 9.iii (Guangdong); iv (Guizhou); 27.iii-27.iv (Zhejiang); 14.v (Fujian, 740m); vi (Hainan); 8.vi (Anhui), 27.vi (Fujian); 12.vii (Hubei); 20.viii (Zhejiang); 22.viii (Guangdong); viii-ix (Hunan); 7.ix-x (Hong Kong). Taiwan: iii (Nantou Hsien); iv (Hualien Hsien); vi (Nantou Hsien); viii (Nantou Hsien; Taoyuan Hsien); x (Nantou Hsien).

This species is generally single brooded in Hong Kong, flying from January until March, with a peak in February (Roger Kendrick, pers. comm.). The summer appears to be spent as a diapausing pupa, which emerges with the onset of cooler winter weather; however, it appears that in some (?cooler) years some adults will appear on the wing again in September and October. Farther north the species is double brooded.

In Thailand this species flies in July and August during the wet season (Inoue et al., [1996]).


EARLY STAGES

OVUM:

LARVA: 45mm.


Full-grown larva of Cypoides chinensis, Hong Kong, China. Photo: © Roger Kendrick. Full-grown larva of Cypoides chinensis. Image: Mell, 1922b Full-grown larva of Cypoides chinensis. Image: Mell, 1922b Full-grown larva of Cypoides chinensis. Image: Mell, 1922b Full-grown larva of Cypoides chinensis. Image: Mell, 1922b Full-grown larva of Cypoides chinensis. Image: Mell, 1922b Full-grown larva of Cypoides chinensis. Image: Mell, 1922b Full-grown larva of Cypoides chinensis (dorsal view), Taiwan. Photo: © Felix Lin.

PUPA:


Pupa of Cypoides chinensis. Image: Mell, 1922b Pupa of Cypoides chinensis. Image: Mell, 1922b

Larval hostplants. Recorded from Guangdong on Liquidambar formosana (Mell, 1922b); the same tree is also utilized in Hong Kong (Roger Kendrick, pers. comm.). Wang (1992) also list Broussonetia papyrifera and Quercus as hostplants for China.


Liquidambar formosana, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. Photo: © Tony Pittaway.

PARASITOIDS

Unknown.


LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

China: Anhui (Huang Shan); Zhejiang (Hangzhou); Hubei (Shennongjia); Guizhou (Jiucai Ling); Hunan (Dayong); Jiangxi (Pingxiang; Wanzai); Fujian (Chong'an, 740m; Liufang); Guangdong (Guangzhou; Lienping); Hong Kong; Hainan (Youboi).

Taiwan: Hualien Hsien (Taroko National Park); Nantou Hsien (Lushan spa; Fushih spa; Jenai; Kuantauchi); Taiko; Taoyuan Hsien (Paleng); Taipei Hsien (Fushan).


GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Occurs primarily in southern China and Taiwan, but extending south to mountainous northern Vietnam and northeastern Thailand (Inoue et al., [1996]).


Global distribution of Cypoides chinensis. Map: © BMNH.

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION

Holarctic; eastern Palaearctic region. Pleistocene refuge: Monocentric -- Yunnan refugium.


Return to Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic species list
© A.R. Pittaway & I.J. Kitching (The Natural History Museum, London)