On the morning of October 12, 2012 there were two Aellopos Sphinx Moths feeding on the same small patch of Plumbago in the National Butterfly Center gardens in Mission, Hidalos county, Texas. I noted that one of them was slightly smaller and quite a bit browner, and knowing that there was a taxon that might match this, I took a large number of photos of both moths, hoping to get a couple of useable ones. I feel that the images below indicate that this brown Aellopos is tantalus - a species recorded from Florida but not from Texas. Last year I documented A. fadus from the same location and prepared an Aellopos ID guide that discusses tantalus - CLICK HERE to see that web page. Looking at the few images of tantalus that I could find online, I noticed that the color ranged from similar to clavipes to pale warm brown, and I wonder if the browner ones (like today's bug) are identifiable on the color alone - ? I'd be very interested in getting feedback on this brown Aellopos, thanks:
NOTE: these images are straight from the camera with no adjustment:
The top photo is the brown Aellopos, and below it a normal-looking A. clavipes that was feeding close to it, for comparison - note how worn the brown Aellopos is compared to the clavipes:
Two more images of the brown Aellopos:
