Empyreuma pugione

Empyreuma pugione
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Empyreuma
Species:
E. pugione
Binomial name
Empyreuma pugione
(Linnaeus, 1767)[1]
Synonyms
  • Sphinx pugione Linnaeus, 1767
  • Sphinx lichas Cramer, [1775]
  • Sphinx sanguinosa Martyn, 1797
  • Chrysaor erythropterus Hübner, 1808
  • Empyreuma mucro Zerny, 1912
  • Empyreuma sanguinea Rothschild, 1912
  • Empyreuma sanguinea portoricensis Rothschild, 1912
  • Empyreuma affinis Rothschild, 1912
  • Empyreuma affinis haitensis Rothschild, 1912

Empyreuma pugione, the spotted oleander caterpillar moth, is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It is found in the West Indies, where it has been collected at elevations up to 733m,[2] but has been introduced to the US state of Florida.[3]

The wingspan is 43–48 mm. They fly during the day.[4]

The larvae feed on Nerium oleander, but are likely to have fed on a Caribbean species from a New World Apocynaceae genus such as Thevetia, Plumeria, Mandevilla, or Tabernaemontana prior to the introduction of oleander.[2] They are light orange and hairy.

References

  1. ^ Savela, Markku. "Empyreuma pugione (Linnaeus, 1767)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Weller, Susan J.; Simmons, Rebecca B.; Carlson, Anders L. (22 April 2004). "EMPYREUMA SPECIES AND SPECIES LIMITS: EVIDENCE FROM MORPHOLOGY AND MOLECULES (ARCTIIDAE: ARCTIINAE: CTENUCHINI)". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 58 (1): 28. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  3. ^ "930448.00 – 8272 – Empyreuma pugione – Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth – (Linnaeus, 1767)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  4. ^ Factsheet at Florida Featured Creatures