Herse convolvuli (Linnaeus)

Swezry, O. H., 1942, Sphingidae Of Guam, Insects of Guam I, Honolulu, Hawaii: Bernice P. Bishop Museum, pp. 39-40 : 40

4. Herse convolvuli (Linnaeus) .

Sphinx convolvuli Linnaeus , Syst. Ent., 10th ed., 490, 1758.

Herse convolvuli (Linnaeus) Rothschild and Jordan, Nov. Zoo!. 9, Suppl.: 11, 1903.

Mt. Alifan , May 21, reared from Jpomoea species; Orote Peninsula , May 24 ,, reared from Ipomoea species ; Piti, July 18, at light, Oct. 12, at light, Swe­ e zey, 3 specimens; Dededo, Sept. 7, reared from Iponioea species (Swezey) .

This species has a wide distribution in the eastern hemisphere, and the island groups of the Pacific, except Hawaiian islands , where the American species Herse cingulata has been known for a long while. It is now recorded from Guam for the first time. Its caterpillars feed on morning-glory leaves ( Ipomoea species ). They were collected in several stages of growth and a few reared to maturity. The full grown caterpillar is about 60 mm. long, light green with an oblique bar of mauve above the spiracles. The spiracles are oval, light yellow with black centers. The egg is spherical, light green, smooth. They are placed singly on the under side of leaves. They were collected on several occasions. Sometimes the eggs are parasitized. From an egg collected on morning-glory leaf in corn field at the Agricultural School, Piti, September 15, 18 trichogrammas issued. A larger parasite was reared from eggs a few times and from different localities. This parasite issued from 4 of 9 eggs collected at Piti , July 30, which would be a parasitism of 44 percent. Perhaps these egg parasites are effective on other species of hawkmoths, and account for their scarcity in Guam.