Categories

It looks like a fighter plane
Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 12:55 AM
this was spotted in london last night whilst filling my car with fuel. it looks like a mini stealth fighter plane with a thick scorpion like stinger on its back. it wasnt bothered by me being there and remained totally still.
very creepy, never seen anything as aggressive looking as this, it had defined camouflage patterns and a a streamlined look.
what is it, how rare is it? should i have put it in a jar and kept it?
David
London, England

Lime Hawk Moth

Hi David,
This is a Lime Hawkmoth, Mimas tiliae, and according to the UKMoths Website it is:  “A reasonably common species in the southern half of Britain, it was most frequent in the London area, where there are still extensive tree-lined avenues. In recent years its distribution has spread northwards and is now regularly found well into North Yorkshire and beyond. “  The larvae, which are known as Hornworms, feed on lime, alder, birch and elm tree leaves.  We do not believe you should have put it in a jar and kept it.  Though we are not opposed to keeping insects in jars long enough to observe them, we believe they are best when left in the wild.  We have had other members of the Sphinx or Hawk Moth family Sphingidae referred to as stealth bombers because of their appearance.

Related Posts

1. Lime Hawkmoth from England (May 16, 2008)
2. Lime Hawkmoth (May 8, 2009)
3. Lime Hawkmoth from The Netherlands (May 10, 2009)
4. Poplar Hawk-Moth from England (June 29, 2009)
5. Lime Hawkmoth from England (July 22, 2009)