Cephonodes hylas

Coffee bee hawkmoth
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Macroglossinae
Genus: Cephonodes
Species: C. hylas
Binomial name
Cephonodes hylas
(Linnaeus, [1771])
Synonyms
  • Sphinx hylas Linnaeus, [1771]

The Coffee bee hawkmoth, (Cephonodes hylas), also known as the pellucid hawk moth or Coffee clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. A widely distributed moth, it if found in the Near East, Middle East, Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia.[1][2]

Description

It has transparent wings and a stout body like a bumble bee.[3] Its wingspan of 45–73 mm. Marginal border are very narrow and black. Abdomen varies in color from yellow to green. Nominate subspecies has bright reddish 3rd and 4th abdominal segments. Larva have two color forms, green and blackish. In greenish form, body greenish with a white-bordered blue dorsal line and whitish sub-dorsal line ending in a yellow streak at base of horn. Head and spiracles are blue colored.[4] In the dark-coloured form, head brown or pale orange and rest of body smoky-black. Pupa dark brown in color.

Ecology

Larvae are sluggish but eat very greedily and continuously. Its larvae feed on Burchellia, Gardenia, Kraussia, Pavetta and Vangueria species. Parasitoids such as Ooencyrtus papilionis and Blepharipa zebrine are found on larva.[5][6]

Subspecies

References

  1. "Cephonodes hylas (Linnaeus, 1771)". Sphingidae Taxonomic Inventory. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  2. "Cephonodes hylas". African Moths. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  3. "Coffee Hawk Moth (Cephonodes hylas)". Australian Wildlife. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  4. Hampson G. F. (1892). "The Fauna Of British India Including Ceylon And Burma Moths Vol-i". Digital Library of India. p. 558. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  5. Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic "Coffee bee hawkmoth" Check |url= value (help). Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic species list. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  6. "Coffee Hawk Moth". Butterfly House. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
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