61 Records

Plebeian sphinx
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Tribe:	Sphingini
Genus:	Paratrea Grote, 1903
Species:	P. plebeja
Binomial name
Paratrea plebeja (Fabricius, 1777)[1]
Synonyms
Generic Atreides Holland, 1903 Atreus Grote, 1886 Specific Sphinx plebeja Fabricius, 1777

Paratrea is a monotypic moth genus in the family Sphingidae erected by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1903. Its sole species, Paratrea plebeja, commonly known as the plebeian sphinx moth, was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1777. This species is found in the eastern part of the United States extending westward to Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and eastern Texas.

The length of the forewing is measured 31–35 mm. In the northern regions, adults are active in two generations, flying from May to August. In the southern regions, there are at least two generations, with adults on the wing from late April to June and from August to October. In Florida, adults are active from April to November, and in Louisiana, they are seen from March to September. Adults feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Saponaria officinalis, Phlox, Petunia, Mirabilis, Lonicera, Hymenocallis occidentalis and Verbena.

The larvae feed on plants such as Campsis radicans, Tecoma stans, and introduced Tecomaria capensis.

• "Plebeian sphinx (Paratrea plebeja)" Moths of North America. Archived December 2, 2005.

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