Hippotion butleri 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 known from Madagascar

Madagascar

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

.

It is superficially similar to Rhagastis mongoliana

Rhagastis mongoliana

Rhagastis mongoliana is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from China, north to Mongolia, Korea and the Primorsky Krai in Russia, and east to Taiwan and Japan.The wingspan is 47-63 mm...

but distinguishable by the conspicuously black-and-white chequered forewing fringes. The forewing upperside basal two-thirds and marginal band are pale khaki and the submarginal band is buff. The discal spot is a conspicuous round black spot. The hindwing upperside is dark brown, with a buff median band restricted to the area near the tornus.