Hawkmoths of Australia

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Identification, Biology and Distribution

Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Series Volume 13 By: Maxwell S Moulds, James P Tuttle, David A Lane

eBook - January 2020 - eRetailers

An essential reference to all hawkmoth species found in Australia and on its offshore islands.

Hawkmoths are large charismatic insects with highly variable and colourful larvae. Some species are specialised in their habitat preferences, but others are widespread and often encountered in gardens. However, little is known about most species, and associating the adults with their larvae has previously been difficult or impossible. + Full description

Hawkmoths of Australia allows identification of all of the Australian hawkmoths for the first time and treats species found on mainland Australia, Tasmania and all offshore islands within Australian limits. It presents previously undescribed life histories of nearly all species and provides a comprehensive account of hawkmoth biology, including new parasitoids and their hawkmoth hosts. Detailed drawings and photographs show the external and internal morphology of adults and immatures, and eggs, larval instars and pupa. Keys are provided for last instar larvae and pupae of the 71 species that the authors have reared. The book is concluded by a glossary, appendices to parasitoids and larval foodplants, an extensive reference list with bibliographical notes and a comprehensive index.

The wealth of new information in this book makes it an essential reference for anyone interested in these moths.

Hawkmoths of Australia is Volume 13 of the Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Series.

Winner, The Royal Zoological Society of NSW 2020 Whitley Medal

- Short description

News

Read more on our blog:
Hawkmoths of Australia won the prestigious Whitley Medal in the 2020 Royal Zoological Society of NSW Whitley Awards – the authors share what the win means to them: Whitley Awards 2020: Australasian zoological literature on show

Reviews

"It is simply magnificent, setting a new standard for monographs worldwide. I am confident this will remain the standard for Australian Hawkmoths for decades to come and the words Moulds, Tuttle and Lane, 2020 will follow many a quotation on Australian Hawkmoths."
Peter Hendry, Metamorphosis Australia, March 2020

"This book covers anything you want to know about hawkmoths and is essential reading. It is not a “cure” for curiosity for there is more to be learnt, and it likely to stimulate the interest of budding entomologists for generations to come."
Graham Brown, General and Applied Entomology 47, 2019

"The years of hard work put into compiling the information and producing the book and the knowledge and expertise of the authors are evident in every page. This book is a must-have for any entomologist’s library."
Peter Marriott and Marilyn Hewish, Victorian Entomologist 50(1), January 2020

"This fantastic monograph should absolutely not be missed by anyone interested in entomology, Sphingidae, or Lepidoptera. It cannot be understated how valuable this resource is. Not only is it the first of its kind for Australia, it sets the bar quite high for future monographs for other regions, earning its place as a must-have resource that is sure to please."
Teá Kesting-Handly, News of the Lepidopterists Society 62(1), 2020

"An astonishing wealth of new, previously unpublished information available nowhere else and is clearly the culmination of years of extensive fieldwork."
Robert B. Lachlan, Australian Entomologist 47(2), 2020

"But if this sounds like a technical treatise aimed at professionals, think again. It is, but an easy writing style and some informative gems sprinkled through the text make it accessible to a novice and everyone with an interest in Australian Lepidoptera generally."
John Tennent, Antenna, Bulletin of the Royal Entomological Society, 2020

"This is an extremely valuable contribution to the biological and entomological literature. The abundant data are well researched and lucidly presented in a book of high quality. The enthusiastic investment of time and energy expended by the authors to prepare and write this monumental volume is evident, and I highly recommend it for any student of biology, entomology, and lepidoptera."
Eric H. Metzler, Life: The Excitment of Biology 8(3), December 2020

"This is the latest volume in the Monograph series and is, undoubtedly, one of the finest books on hawkmoths (perhaps indeed on any moths) ever produced."
Australian Entomologist 47(3), September 2020

"This substantial and long-awaited publication represents a landmark in Australian entomology. The authors bring their broad experience to bear in the contents, and in conjunction with high quality editorial standards associated with this series, have produced a standout volume that future monographs will strive to emulate."
David Britton, Austral Entomology 10 December 2021

Details

Hardback | January 2020 | $220.00
ISBN: 9781486302819 | 424 pages | 297 x 210 mm
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Colour plates, Illustrations, Maps, Photographs

ePDF | January 2020
ISBN: 9781486302826
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

ePUB | January 2020
ISBN: 9781486302833
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

Features

The first full treatment of the Australian hawkmoths, covering their identification, distributions and biology.
Comprehensive life history accounts for most species, including many previously unrecorded.
Illustrated with more than 800 colour photographs and supplemented by detailed technical descriptions.
Adults of all species illustrated in colour including variants never before figured.
A detailed account of natural enemies, especially of parasitoids, most previously unrecorded.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera: previous volumes in this series

Organisation and presentation
Historical review
Structure and function
Collection and preservation
Rearing hawkmoths
Biology
Classification and nomenclature
The Australian fauna
Addendum

Plates
Glossary
Appendix 1: Sphingidae-Parasitoid associations
Appendix 2: Summary of known larval foodplants
References
Index

View the full table of contents (PDF, 612kb)

Authors

Dr Maxwell S. Moulds has had a passion for hawkmoths for much of his life, an interest that has taken him to many remote localities throughout Australia, New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. He has authored or co-authored more than 90 scientific papers and books on insects, and his book on Australian cicadas won the Whitley Medal, the highest award for Australian natural history books. In 2016, he was awarded the prestigious Australian Natural History Medallion for outstanding contributions to Australian entomology, and he is an Honorary Life Member of the Entomological Society of Queensland. In 2003, he retired from the Australian Museum but continues his association there as a Senior Fellow.

James P. Tuttle has served as President, Treasurer and for 13 years as Season Summary Editor of the Lepidopterists’ Society, which has members in over 36 countries worldwide. He has published the critically acclaimed textbooks The Wild Silk Moths of North America and The Hawk Moths of North America, and numerous journal articles on the Lepidoptera of Australia, North America and South America.

David A. Lane has a keen interest in the Lepidoptera of the Indo-Australian area, particularly northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. He has published widely in journals in Australia and Europe, with particular emphasis on Saturniidae and Sphingidae.