Triptogon dissimilis Bremer, 1861, Bull. Acad. Sci. St. Petersburg 3: 475. Type locality: [Russia, Khabarovsk Kray,] Ussuri, between the mouth of the Ussuri river and the Noor [He] river.
Wingspan: 93--130mm.
A species of open parkland and forest edge.
China: iv-vi (Zhejiang); v (Sichuan); vii-viii (Zhejiang); viii (Jiangxi; Fujian); ix (Shaanxi; Guizhou). Taiwan: iii (Hualien Hsien). North Korea: vii (Baekdu-san); vii (Jueul). South Korea: 29.vi [(unstated locality)]. Japan: 14.v-3.vii (Honshu; Shikoku). Russia: vi (Khabarovsk Kray); 15.vi (Primorskiy Kray); 3-28.vii (Primorskiy Kray); 12-18.vii (Khabarovsk Kray); 2-6.viii (Primorskiy Kray).
Univoltine in northern China, with adults flying between May and July (Yang, 1978; Chu et al., 1979). Farther south, the species is bivoltine. Larvae are most frequently encountered around Beijing in July and August (Chu et al., 1979).
Park et al. (1999) give mid May until mid August as the flight period in Korea.
OVUM: Oval (1.22 x 1.59mm).
LARVA: Full-fed 65--85mm.
Very sedentary, feeding about 2-4m off the ground on the leaves of lower branches. Larvae will lash out laterally and squeak\hiss if molested in a manner similar to that of the related North American Amorpha juglandis (J.E. Smith, 1797).
PUPA: 50--60mm. Dark mahogany brown and rugose; not glossy. In fact, the whole elongated body has the texture of sandpaper. Head and thorax blunt, strongly tuberculate; eyes with tiangular projections. Body tapering caudad dorsally, but flattened ventrally. Tongue-case absent. Antennae with a ridge of forward-pointing fine spines. Just before the soft cuticle of each movable abdominal segment there is an encircling ring of sharp conical tubercles. Final segments before cremaster spatulate, with lateral 'wings'. Cremaster broad, square, dorso-ventrally flattened. Similar to that of the related North American Amorpha juglandis. Formed in an almost silk-free cell in the soil. The overwintering stage.
The pupae will jerk about and squeak\hiss if molested. This noise appears to made by forcing air through the spiracles. A very mobile species, which has the ability to burrow back under debris using wriggling and undulating motions if exposed to light (Pittaway, pers. obs. 2003).
Larval hostplants. Recorded in China on Carya cathayensis (Chu et al., 1979; Chu & Wang, 1980), Juglans mandschurica (Oberthür, 1886) and J. regia (Yang, 1978; Chu & Wang, 1980; Pittaway, pers. obs. 2003). Monophagous on Juglandaceae in the wild. The record for Salix (Wang, 1992) is highly suspect.
Recorded in Primorskiy Kray, Russia, on Juglans mandschurica (Derzhavets, 1984).
The Korean record for Prunus serrulata var. spontanea Park et al. (1999) may well be correct as the related North American Amorpha juglandis will take Prunus.
[In captivity this species can be reared on Alnus glutinosa and may take other species of Alnus, as well as Betula (Mark Boddington, pers. comm. 2005).]
Unknown.
China: Found throughout eastern and central China, from Heilongjiang to as far south as Zhejiang (Tianmu Shan), northern Fujian (Guangze, 1200m; Longqi Shan), northern Jiangxi (Jiujiang), Hubei (Xingshan; Zigui), Guizhou (Jiucai Ling) and Sichuan (nr. Guangyuan, 1050m; Kangding). (The southern limit of the nominotypical subspecies in mainland China is uncertain (see under P. d. perundulans)).
Taiwan. Hualien Hsien (Taroko National Park).
North Korea: North Hamgyong Prov. (Baekdu-san; 2500m; Jueul, 1500m). Park et al. (1999) also list 'Pärchen', but this is the German word for 'pair', i.e. a pair in-copula, and not a location.
South Korea: Seoul; Kyonggi Prov. (Suri-san; Gwangleung; Yumyong-san; Myungji-san); Kangwon Prov. (Cheolwon; Daeryong-san; Gwangduk-san; Seolak-san; Yangyang; Bangtae-san; Sogumgang-san; Baekduk-san; Taebek-san; Hwancheon; Chuncheon; Bongmyung-ri; Hongcheon; Odae-san; Chiak-san; Wolak-san); North Cholla Prov. (Jiri-san; Namwon); South Cholla Prov. (Baekyang Temple; Dolsan-do; Duryun-san; Gwangyang; Gurye; Yeocheon; Haenam); North Kyongsang Prov. (Eorae-san; Naeyon-san; Mungyungsaejae; Seongju; Youngcheon; Uiseong; Cheongdo); South Kyongsang Prov. (Pusan; Hamyang; Yeohang-san; Muhak-san; Jinju; Geoje-do; Goseong; Namhae; Milyang; Sacheon; Sancheong; Ulsan; Uichang; Tongyoung; Hadong; Hapcheon); Cheju Prov. (Cheju-do; Sunheul; Topyung; Gwaneum Temple; Suakbong; Ipseok-dong; Seoguipo; Orimok; Sungpanak).
Japan: Hokkaido; Honshu (Tokyo; Mikaboyama, 750m; Namezawa Spa, 700m; Kiyosato, 1300m); Shikoku (Shioemachi); Kyushu; Tsushima (Sasuna).
Russia: Khabarovsk Kray (Slavyanka; Bychikha); Primorskiy Kray (Andreevka; Khasan; Kedrovaya Pad nature reserve).
Southeastern Russian Far East, eastern and central China, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula (Kim et al., 1982) and Japan. Inoue (1996) has also recorded a single specimen from the Philippines island of Luzon.
Holarctic; eastern Palaearctic region. Pleistocene refuge: Polycentric -- Japanese and Sinopacific refugia.
Return to Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic species list