Cephonodes kingii
Encyclopedia
The Gardenia Bee Hawk is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is found in the northern two thirds of Australia
.
The wingspan
is about 40 mm. Adults resemble bumble bees. They are mostly green with a yellow abdomen and a black band around the first few abdominal segments, and a dark mark on the next segment. There is a black fringe around the tip of the abdomen. The wings are mostly transparent except for a opaque area near the tip of the forewings. Adults feed on flower nectar.
The larvae have been recorded on Gardenia jasminoides
, Canthium attenuatum, Canthium coprosmoides, Canthium odoratum, Canthium oleifolium, Gardenia ovularis, Gardenia ochreata, Pavetta australiensis, Medicago sativa and Citrus limon. Young larvae are pale green with a short black tail horn. Later, they become black, grey, or green, often with black lines across the back. They have a posterior horn shaped like a shallow S, and have white spiracles along each side outlined in red. The head colour varies from brown to green. Pupation takes place underground in a dark brown pupa.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Sphingidae
Sphingidae
Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...
family. It is found in the northern two thirds of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 40 mm. Adults resemble bumble bees. They are mostly green with a yellow abdomen and a black band around the first few abdominal segments, and a dark mark on the next segment. There is a black fringe around the tip of the abdomen. The wings are mostly transparent except for a opaque area near the tip of the forewings. Adults feed on flower nectar.
The larvae have been recorded on Gardenia jasminoides
Gardenia jasminoides
Gardenia jasminoides, is a fragrant flowering evergreen tropical plant, a favorite in gardens worldwide. It originated in Asia and is most commonly found growing in Vietnam, Southern China, Taiwan, Japan and India...
, Canthium attenuatum, Canthium coprosmoides, Canthium odoratum, Canthium oleifolium, Gardenia ovularis, Gardenia ochreata, Pavetta australiensis, Medicago sativa and Citrus limon. Young larvae are pale green with a short black tail horn. Later, they become black, grey, or green, often with black lines across the back. They have a posterior horn shaped like a shallow S, and have white spiracles along each side outlined in red. The head colour varies from brown to green. Pupation takes place underground in a dark brown pupa.