Theretra latreillii, the pale brown hawk moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae described by William Sharp Macleay in 1826. It is found in most of Asia, including Borneo, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan and also throughout the tropical and temperate regions of Australia.

Pale brown hawk moth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Theretra
Species:
T. latreillii
Binomial name
Theretra latreillii
(Macleay, 1826)[1]
Synonyms
  • Sphinx latreillii W.S. Macleay, 1826
  • Chaerocampa amara Swinhoe, 1892
  • Chaerocampa comminuens Walker, 1865
  • Chaerocampa deserta Butler, 1876
  • Chaerocampa walduckii Butler, 1877
  • Chaerocampa lucasii

Description

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The adult grows to a length of about 70 millimetres (2.8 in).[2] The body is ochreous brown. Antennae, head front and sides of thorax are paler. Forewing with a black speck at end of cell. There are two oblique indistinct lines from near the apex to near base of inner margin. Three similar lines running from the apex nearly parallel to outer margin. Hindwing is smoky black with paler towards anal angle. Ventral side is with a slight rosy tinge. The subspecies T. l. tenebrosa is darker on both upper and undersides than T. l. lucasii, which again is darker than T. l. rhesus. Larva is brown with darker specks. A pale lateral line runs on thoracic somites. Ocellus on 4th somite is whitish, centered with a black ring on an ochreous ground.[3]

Larvae have been recorded on Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Cayratia clematidea, Cayratia corniculata, Impatiens walleriana, Leea indica, Lagerstroemia indica and Fuchsia species.[2]

Subspecies

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  • Theretra latreillii latreillii - nominate from Australia
  • Theretra latreillii lucasii (Walker, 1856) (Sri Lanka, southern and north-eastern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Andaman Islands, Thailand, southern and eastern China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines)[4]
  • Theretra latreillii prattorum Clark, 1924 (Indonesia)

References

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  1. ^ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  2. ^ a b Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (18 April 2017). "Theretra latreillii (W.S.Macleay, 1826)". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  3. ^ Hampson, G. F. (1892). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume I. Vol. Moths - Vol. I. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. ^ Pittaway, A. R.; Kitching, I. J. (2018). "Theretra latreillii lucasii (Walker, 1856) -- Latreille's hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
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