Erinnyis ello


Erinnyis ello, the ello sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is distributed from Argentina through Central America to the United States as far north as Nevada.
The wingspan is 75–85 mm. The abdomen has gray and black bands. The forewing upperside of the female is pale gray with a few dark dots near the outer margin, while the forewing upperside of the male is dark gray and brown with a black band running from the base to the tip. In both sexes, the hindwing upperside is orange with a wide black border.
Adults are on wing year-round in the tropics and southern Florida. Adults feed on the nectar of flowers, including common soapwort and Chinese violet.
The larva feeds on a variety of host plants, including papaya in the family Caricaceae; poinsettia, Mexican jumping bean, Cnidoscolus urens, and cassava in the Euphorbiaceae; guavas in the Myrtaceae; and saffron plum in the Sapotaceae.
The ello sphinx can be parasitized by the braconid wasp Microplitis figueresi.

Subspecies