Theretra clotho

Theretra clotho, the common hunter hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found from Sri Lanka, India (including the Andaman Islands), Nepal and Myanmar, east through China to Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, and then south-east through South East Asia as far as the Lesser Sunda Islands and Timor in Indonesia. They can disperse long distances and may be found up to northern China (this range includes Theretra celata, which is sometimes treated as a valid species).[2] The habitat consists of open forests, forest edges, orchards, plantations, wooded scrubs, suburban gardens and city parks.

Theretra clotho
From India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Theretra
Species:
T. clotho
Binomial name
Theretra clotho
(Drury, 1773)[1]
Synonyms
  • Sphinx clotho Drury, 1773
  • Deilephila cyrene Westwood, 1847
  • Chaerocampa bistrigata Butler, 1875
  • Chaerocampa aspersata Kirby, 1877

Description

The wingspan is 70–100 mm. The head and thorax are greenish brown, with a white lateral stripe running from the palpus to the rear of the thorax. The abdomen is also greenish brown, with a black lateral patch near the thorax. The forewings are greyish brown with a sharp brown oblique band running from the inner margin to the apex and a fine black discal spot. The hindwings are black basally and brown distally, with a buff patch at the anal angle. The antennae and legs are white.

  • Male dorsal view
    Male dorsal view
  • Male ventral view
    Male ventral view
  • Female dorsal view
    Female dorsal view
  • Female ventral view
    Female ventral view

Biology

In Hong Kong, adults are on wing in multiple generations per year, with records from April to late October (peaks in mid-April, late May, mid-August and mid-October). In Korea, adults are on wing in August. In general though, adults are on wing from April or May to October throughout the southern range.

Larvae have been recorded feeding on Amorphophallus, Hibiscus, Parthenocissus, Saurauia and Vitis in Guangdong and Hong Kong. Other hosts include Cissus species, as well as Ampelopsis glandulosa in Japan and on Cissus hastata in Singapore. Elsewhere, other major host plant families include Actinidiaceae, Araceae, Begoniaceae, Dilleniaceae, Leeaceae, Malvaceae, Onagraceae, Urticaceae and Vitaceae.[3]

Subspecies
  • Theretra clotho clotho
  • Theretra clotho vincenti Vaglia & Liyous, 2010 (Philippines)
  • Theretra clotho celata (Butler, 1877) (Moluccas east to Vanuatu and south to Australia)
  • Larva (green form)
    Larva (green form)
  • Larva (brown form)
    Larva (brown form)
  • Pupa - the leaf surrounding the pupa was unwrapped.
    Pupa - the leaf surrounding the pupa was unwrapped.

References
  1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  2. Pittaway, A. R.; Kitching, I. J. (2018). "Theretra clotho clotho (Drury, 1773) -- Common hunter hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  3. "HOSTS - The Hostplants and Caterpillars Database at the Natural History Museum". HOSTS. Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 21 March 2023.


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