Dark-bordered hummingbird hawkmoth
Macroglossum gyrans in Kadavoor, Kerala, India
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Sphingidae
Genus:
Macroglossum
Species:
M. gyrans
Binomial name
Macroglossum gyrans
Walker, 1856[1]
Synonyms
  • Macroglossa zena Boisduval, 1875
  • Macroglossa burmanica Rothschild, 1894
  • Macroglossa bombus Mabille, 1879

The Dark-bordered hummingbird hawkmoth, (Macroglossum gyrans), is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from south-east Asia and Madagascar. The moth makes a deep humming note before flight by a quivering motion of the wings, hence the common name.[2]

Description

The length of the forewings is 16–23 mm. The upperside of the head, thorax, and basal half of the abdomen are the same grey colour as the forewing upperside. The underside of the palpus, thorax, and legs are almost pure white. The sides of the thorax and legs are shaded or speckled with brown scales. The abdomen underside is grey brown. The forewing upperside is grey. Both wing undersides are dull ochraceous tawny, shaded with grey brown, the bases are more rusty brown. The hindwing upperside is not darker at the base than in the middle and is tawny-rust coloured, gradually becoming brown distally, but the brown border is not sharply defined and the lines are not prominent. The hindwing underside inner area is pale yellow at the base.

Ecology

The caterpillar is found on Morinda and Strychnos.[3]

References

  1. ^ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-10-01. Retrieved 2011-10-25. ((cite web)): Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Dark-bordered hummingbird hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic species list. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Macroglossum gyrans Walker". The Moths of Borneo. Retrieved 6 July 2016.


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