| (previously known as Sphinx marmorata) SMERINTHINAE, SPHINGIDAE, BOMBYCOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson, from
Tropical Queensland Wildlife from Dusk to Dawn Science and Art
|
| (previously known as Sphinx marmorata) SMERINTHINAE, SPHINGIDAE, BOMBYCOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson, from
Tropical Queensland Wildlife from Dusk to Dawn Science and Art
The early instar Caterpillars of this species are pale green with a yellowish head and a straight black tail spike. Later instars develop a green pointed head, three yellow lines along the back, and black spiracles.
The caterpillars often rest under a leaf of their foodplant lying along the mid-vein. The caterpillars have been found feeding on :
The caterpillars grow to a length of about 5.5 cms. The caterpillars dig a tunnel and create a chamber to pupate in underground at a depth of about 10 cms. The pupa is brown and rotund, with a length of about 3 cms.
The adult moths have fawn forewings and paler hindwings. The abdomen is black with a series of white spots along each side, and smaller ones along the back. The male moths have a wingspan of about 4 cms. The female moths have a wingspan of about 6 cms.
The eggs are pale green and oval, with a length of about 1 mm. They are laid singly or in small groups on leaves and stems of a foodplant. The eggs develop dark markings as hatching approaches.
The species is found inland in
Further reading :
Thomas P. Lucas,
On Queensland and other Australian Lepidoptera,
with Descriptions of new Species,
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Series 2, Volume 6, Part 2 (1891), pp. 278-279.
Maxwell S. Moulds, James P. Tuttle and David A. Lane.
Hawkmoths of Australia,
Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Series, Volume 13 (2020),
pp. 233-235, Plates 59, 78, 91.
Buck Richardson,
Tropical Queensland Wildlife from Dusk to Dawn Science and Art,
LeapFrogOz, Kuranda, 2015, p. 206.
 caterpillar |  butterflies |  Lepidoptera |  moths |  caterpillar |
(updated 25 May 2012, 23 February 2015, 20 April 2020)