Macroglossum aesalon
Encyclopedia
Macroglossum aesalon is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from Madagascar
, Mauritius
and the Comoro Islands
.
The abdomen upperside has four orange lateral patches, the firsst and fourth generally small. There is also a black mesial spot at the base of the anal brush. The palpus is white, shaded with brown scales and the thorax underside is brown, clayish in the middle. The abdomen underside is either tawny with a series of more or less confluent brown patches at each side, nearly all tawny or brown with three series of tawny patches. The forewing upperside has two oblique antemedian lines, the space between more or less filled up with black scaling. The hindwing upperside has a brownish black base. The median band is broad and yellowish-orange. The distal part of the wing is blackish brown, becoming purple-brown on the disc. The hindwing underside is yellow at the extreme base and inner margin. There are three discal lines present.
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...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
and the Comoro Islands
Comoro Islands
The Comoros Islands form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the south-east coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and north-west of Madagascar. They are divided between the sovereign state of Comoros and the French overseas department of Mayotte...
.
The abdomen upperside has four orange lateral patches, the firsst and fourth generally small. There is also a black mesial spot at the base of the anal brush. The palpus is white, shaded with brown scales and the thorax underside is brown, clayish in the middle. The abdomen underside is either tawny with a series of more or less confluent brown patches at each side, nearly all tawny or brown with three series of tawny patches. The forewing upperside has two oblique antemedian lines, the space between more or less filled up with black scaling. The hindwing upperside has a brownish black base. The median band is broad and yellowish-orange. The distal part of the wing is blackish brown, becoming purple-brown on the disc. The hindwing underside is yellow at the extreme base and inner margin. There are three discal lines present.
Subspecies
- Macroglossum aesalon aesalon
- Macroglossum aesalon sainsoni Turlin, 1996 (Comoro Islands)