Macroglossum tenebrosa
Encyclopedia
Macroglossum tenebrosa is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from Sulawesi
, the Moluccas, Aru
, Papua New Guinea
, the Bismarck Archipelago
, the Solomon Islands
and north-eastern Australia
.
The head and thorax uppersides are green. The abdomen upperside tergites are glossy bluish grey when side lit, apart from some black patches. There are no white side patches. The tips of the lateral tufts are white. The scales of the anal brush are usually tipped with buffish white, but sometimes largely black with the tips faintly tawny, sometimes all black in specimens from Queensland. The underside of both wings is bluish white basally. The hindwing upperside is bluish white near the anal angle, with a bluish white streak.
The larvae are white with brown stripes and have a yellow head and thorax. The tail-spike is long and black, and curves forward. The true legs are black and the prolegs are yellow with black tips.
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 Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
, the Moluccas, Aru
Aru Islands
The Aru Islands are a group of about ninety-five low-lying islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia. They also form a regency of Indonesia.-Geography:...
, 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 Bismarck Archipelago
Bismarck Archipelago
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.-History:...
, 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 head and thorax uppersides are green. The abdomen upperside tergites are glossy bluish grey when side lit, apart from some black patches. There are no white side patches. The tips of the lateral tufts are white. The scales of the anal brush are usually tipped with buffish white, but sometimes largely black with the tips faintly tawny, sometimes all black in specimens from Queensland. The underside of both wings is bluish white basally. The hindwing upperside is bluish white near the anal angle, with a bluish white streak.
The larvae are white with brown stripes and have a yellow head and thorax. The tail-spike is long and black, and curves forward. The true legs are black and the prolegs are yellow with black tips.