Hippotion brennus
Encyclopedia
Hippotion brennus is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from the Moluccas, Papua New Guinea
, the Solomon Islands
and north-eastern Australia
.
The wingspan
is about 60 mm. Adults have patterned brown or grey forewings, and yellow or orange hindwings with a brown border. The forewings each have a recurve on both the inner and outer margins. The hindwings each have a recurve on the outer margin near the tornus. The abdomen has four white markings along each side. It is a variable species in colour and pattern with four distinct forms (brennus, funebris, johanna and rubribrenna) and some intermediates.
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 known from the Moluccas, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
and north-eastern 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 60 mm. Adults have patterned brown or grey forewings, and yellow or orange hindwings with a brown border. The forewings each have a recurve on both the inner and outer margins. The hindwings each have a recurve on the outer margin near the tornus. The abdomen has four white markings along each side. It is a variable species in colour and pattern with four distinct forms (brennus, funebris, johanna and rubribrenna) and some intermediates.