Lophostethus dumolinii 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 most habitats, except desert and high mountains throughout the Ethiopian Region, excluding Madagascar

Madagascar

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

 and the Cape in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

The length of the forewings is 55-70 mm for males and 70-75 mm for females 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 130-171 mm. This species has a characteristic colour and pattern of the upperside of the thorax and forewing. The forewing upperside ground colour is pale brown with paler undulating antemedian and postmedian lines.

The larvae feed on Ficus

Ficus

Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...

, Milletia aboensis, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Hibiscus micranthus, Hibiscus panduriformis, Dombeya rotundifolia

Dombeya rotundifolia

Dombeya rotundifolia, Dikbas or "South African Wild Pear" , is a small deciduous tree with dark grey to blackish deeply fissured bark, found in Southern Africa and northwards to central and eastern tropical Africa...

, Dombeya cymosa, Carissa macrocarpa

Carissa macrocarpa

Carissa macrocarpa , is a shrub native to South Africa, where it is commonly called the Large Num-Num. In Zulu, as well as in the Bantu tribes of Uganda, it is called amatungulu. In Afrikaans the fruit is called Noem-Noem.C. macrocarpa deals well with salt-laden winds, making it a good choice for...

, Andersonia

Andersonia

Andersonia may refer to:*Andersonia, California, a community in Mendocino County*Andersonia , a genus of plants in the family Ericaceae*Stylidium subg. Andersonia, a subgenus of Stylidium...

, Grewia bicolor and Grewia occidentalis

Grewia occidentalis

Grewia occidentalis is a small, hardy, attractive tree indigenous to Southern Africa.A small, scrambling, deciduous tree reaching a height of about 3m, its purple, star-shaped flowers appear in summer, followed by distinctive four-lobed berries...

.

Subspecies

• Lophostethus dumolinii dumolinii
• Lophostethus dumolinii carteri - Rothschild, 1894 (western Africa)
• Lophostethus dumolinii congoicum - Clark, 1937 (Congo, Uganda)