(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

The adult moths have brown forewings. The hindwings may be either brown or red. They have a wingspan of about 6 cms. The forewings of female moths have white spots which are lacking in the males.

male, showing retinaculum and frenulum (inset)
(Photo: courtesy of John Stumm, Brisbane)

The wing coupling mechanism of the male moth, that holds the hind wing to the forewing during flight, is a hook-like tubercle called the 'retinaculum' near the lower margin of each forewing, and a bristle at the base of the hindwing called the 'frenulum'. Females have a similar device but the single bristle is replaced by a cluster of very fine bristles and the retinculum is not as obvious. This difference is a good way of determining the sex of adult hawk moths.

The species has been found in :

Further reading :

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 41.7, pl. 29.6, p. 413.

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(updated 15 June 2010)