Macroglossum fritzei 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 south-eastern China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, central and southern Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

 and Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

.

The length of the forewings is 21 mm. This species differs from all other species of Macroglossum

Macroglossum

Macroglossum is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. It has over 110 described species.-Species:*Macroglossum adustum - Rothschild & Jordan 1916*Macroglossum aesalon - Mabille 1879*Macroglossum affictitia - Butler 1875...

in the very oblique antemedian band of the forewing. The head and thorax uppersides are dark grey. The abdomen upperside is blackish-brown. The palpus underside is reddish grey. The thorax underside is pale red centrally, darker laterally. The abdomen underside is bright tawny, the apical margins brown with a lateral series of conspicuous buff-yellow spots. The forewing underside is reddish-chestnut, while the extreme base is yellowish, the blackish-brown border is very distinct, due to a series of irregular buff-yellow postdiscal patches. The hindwing underside has a broad yellow band. The hindwing underside is reddish anteriorly, with the base and anal areas yellow gradually shading off on the disc. The brown border is sharply marked, with indications of pale yellow spots at its proximal edge.

The larvae feed on Morinda

Morinda

Morinda is a genus of flowering plants in the madder family, Rubiaceae. The generic name is derived from the Latin words morus, meaning "mulberry," and indica, meaning "of India," referring to the shape of the fruits. -Description:...

and Paederia

Paederia

Paederia is a genus of flowering plants in the madder family, Rubiaceae. They are commonly known as Sewer Vines because of the strong odours exuded when their leaves or stems are crushed or bruised.-Species:...

species, including Morinda umbellata in Hong Kong.