Blackburn’s Sphinx Moth Report By Kala A.
Blackburn’s Sphinx Moth During the 1970’s, the Blackburn's sphinx moth seemed to have disappeared off of the government’s endangered species list onto the list of extinct species. In 1984, the Blackburn’s sphinx moth was rediscovered in Maui. Place of Habitat The Blackburn’s Sphinx moth bases his habitat mainly around low coastal grounds. The moth makes its home in dryland areas with about 50 inches of rainfall a year. The moth’s first habitat was found in Maui, where large amount of the moths still live. The moths are to be found on six of eight of the Hawaiian islands today, however, their habitats are mainly limited to three of the islands, Maui, Kaho’olawe, and Hawaii. Prevention from Extinction Recently, the moth numbers have been dropping because of the introduction of invasive species along with the loss of its natural habitat. Wasps and other insects have been known to eat the larvae and eggs of the Blackburn’s Sphinx moth. Many people believe these moths will go off the endangered list and will live as a normal species. People can help by preventing the destruction of the natural habitat of the moths. Also humans can create artificial habitats as refuges and keep away predators of the moth. Another way to prevent the extinction of the moths is to help build up their larvae population by planting and caring for the aiea plant, the Blackburn Sphinx moths’ host plant.
Bibliograpy Manduca blackburni." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikimedia foundation, Inc., 30 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manduca_blacburni>. "Manduca blackburn sphinx moth." http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/mblackbu.htm. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/mblackbu.htm>. "https://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/icb344/abstracts/Blackburns.htm." Tracey Gollwitzer, Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <https://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/icb344/abstracts/Blackburns.htm>.