Hippotion balsaminae is a moth

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 common in most habitats throughout the Ethiopian Region, including Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

.

The length of the forewings is 24-28 mm and 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 52-70 mm. The head and body are very pale sandy brown, with faint darker longitudinal lines. The forewings are of the same colour with numerous thin darker, regular oblique and submarginal lines meeting at the apex. The two anterior oblique lines darker and more prominent than the others. The hindwings are blackish with a very light sandy brown submarginal line.

The larvae feed on the leaves of Jussieua repens.