| (previously known as Macroglossa alcedo) MACROGLOSSINAE, SPHINGIDAE, BOMBYCOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo : courtesy of Paul Kay, Queensland)
|
| (previously known as Macroglossa alcedo) MACROGLOSSINAE, SPHINGIDAE, BOMBYCOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo : courtesy of Paul Kay, Queensland)
The early instars of this Caterpillar are green, with a slightly forward curving tail spike. The last instar can become green or brown, with yellow speckles, and with an interrupted dark line along the back, and a pale line along each side. The tail spike becomes short, and straight, with pale tip. The caterpillar is thought to feed on plants from RUBIACEAE, such as
The caterpillars grow to a length of about 4.5 cms. They pupate in a cocoon incorporating dead leaves buried in the ground debris. The pupa is pale brown with some dark spots along the sides, and a partial dark line along the back and the underside. It has a pointed tail, and has a total length of about 3 cms.
The adult moths have dark brown patchy forewings. The hindwings are dark brown, shading to yellow at the bases. The wingspan is about 5 cms.
The species is found in
and also in Australia in
Further reading :
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Dechauffour de Boisduval,
Faune Entomologique de L'Ocean Pacifique,
Voyage de Decouvertes de la Corvette l'Astrolabe,
Division 7, Part 1 : Lepidopteres (1832), pp. 188-189.
Maxwell S. Moulds, James P. Tuttle and David A. Lane.
Hawkmoths of Australia,
Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Series, Volume 13 (2020),
pp. 167-169, Plates 38, 76, 88.
 caterpillar |  butterflies |  Lepidoptera |  moths |  caterpillar |
(written 9 December 2005, 28 February 2015, 31 March 2020, 6 September 2022)