Biology:Daphnis hypothous

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Short description: Species of moth

Jade hawkmoth
Daphnis hypothous.jpg
Live adult
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Daphnis
Species:
D. hypothous
Binomial name
Daphnis hypothous
(Cramer, 1780)[1]
Synonyms
  • Sphinx hypothous Cramer, 1780

Daphnis hypothous, the jade hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae described by Pieter Cramer in 1780. It is known from Sri Lanka, southern and northern India , Nepal, Myanmar, southern China , Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is a rare vagrant to the Western Palaearctic realm.[2] During the last hundred years a number have been discovered within the Middle East and one was even found in Scotland late in the 20th century but this was probably imported as a pupa with cargo.[3]

Description

The wingspan is 86–120 mm. It is a very fast flyer and is attracted to both sweet-smelling flowers and light. It differs from Daphnis nerii in having the head and collar uniformly dark purplish brown. Thorax and first two abdominal segments are dark green with a white fringe to the first segment. Other abdominal segments are dark olive green with the streaks and spots as in D. nerii.[4]

Wings are similar to D. nerii but very much darker on both dorsal and ventral side. A white spot is present at the apex of forewing and at the end of cell of forewing ventral side.

Larva is green with yellow dots at its sides. There is a dark dorsal line, a subdorsal purple-red band, edged with yellow on thoracic somites and a blue ocellus on the third somite. Horn is purplish brown with white tubercles. Before changing to pupa, the larva becomes blotched with dark red.[5]

Daphnis hypothous larva (2) and pupa (2a)

Larvae have been recorded feeding on Rubiaceae species, including Cinchona, Wendlandia and Uncaria species in India. Most instars are green with a brown backward-curving tailhorn and a pair of white or red and yellow dorso-lateral stripes. Some instars have various coloured markings along the sides, including a blue eyespot on each side of the metathorax. The final instar is reddish brown.[6]

Caterpillars can be found on Breonia, Cinchona, Ixora, Pavetta, Uncaria, Wendlandia and Alstonia plants.[6]

Subspecies

  • Daphnis hypothous hypothous (Indonesia including the Andaman Islands and Seram)
  • Daphnis hypothous crameri Eitschberger & Melichar, 2010 (South and South-East Asia)

Gallery

Related species

References

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q138266 entry