Marumba sperchius
Encyclopedia
Marumba sperchius is a species of moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is found from north-western India
across north-eastern India
, south-western, central and eastern China
to the southern Russian Far East
, North Korea
, South Korea
and Japan
. It is also present on Sumatra
and Borneo
.
The wingspan
is 88-138 mm. It is similar to Marumba juvencus
, but the lines of the forewing and the ground colour of the hindwing are more reddish and the lines on either side of the weak discal spot are hardly converge.
There are two generations per year with adults on wing in April and again in August in northern China. In Korea, adults are on wing from late May to late August.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on Castanea
(including Castanea crenata), Castanopsis
, Quercus (including Quercus glauca, Quercus mongolica
, Quercus acutissima, Quercus myrsinaefolia, Quercus acuta
, Quercus salicina, Quercus serrata and Castanea crenata), Juglans (including Juglans regia and Juglans mandschurica), Lithocarpus
(including Lithocarpus edulis
) and Eriobotrya
species. Early instars are pale yellow, while later instars turn bluish green with the tubercles brown or reddish, tipped with white. Oblique stripes are formed of mauve or yellow tubercles on a white ground. The horn is green with paler tubercles.
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 found from north-western India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
across north-eastern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, south-western, central and 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...
to the southern Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and 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...
. It is also present on Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
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 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 88-138 mm. It is similar to Marumba juvencus
Marumba juvencus
Marumba juvencus is a species of moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. The habitat consists of lowland forests...
, but the lines of the forewing and the ground colour of the hindwing are more reddish and the lines on either side of the weak discal spot are hardly converge.
There are two generations per year with adults on wing in April and again in August in northern China. In Korea, adults are on wing from late May to late August.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on Castanea
Castanea
Castanea can mean:* Castanea , a plant genus including the chestnuts and chinkapins* Castanea, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place * Castanea Township, Pennsylvania, which surrounds the CDP of the same name...
(including Castanea crenata), Castanopsis
Castanopsis
Castanopsis is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the beech family, Fagaceae. The genus contains about 120 species, which are today restricted to tropical and subtropical eastern Asia. A total of 58 species are native to China, with 30 endemic; the other species occur further south, through...
, Quercus (including Quercus glauca, Quercus mongolica
Quercus mongolica
Quercus mongolica, commonly known as Mongolian Oak, is a species of oak native to Japan, southern Kuriles, Sakhalin, Manchuria, Korea, eastern Mongolia, and eastern Siberia. The species can grow to be 30 m tall....
, Quercus acutissima, Quercus myrsinaefolia, Quercus acuta
Quercus acuta
Quercus acuta, the Japanese Evergreen Oak, is an oak native to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China's Guizhou Province. Due to its foliage and habitat, it looks very unlike an oak....
, Quercus salicina, Quercus serrata and Castanea crenata), Juglans (including Juglans regia and Juglans mandschurica), Lithocarpus
Lithocarpus
Lithocarpus is a genus in the beech family Fagaceae, differing from Quercus in the erect male spikes. The World Checklist accepts 334 species, though some other texts suggest as few as 100 species. About 100 Asian species of the genus were formerly treated in the genus Pasania. All but one are...
(including Lithocarpus edulis
Lithocarpus edulis
Lithocarpus edulis is a species of stone-oak native to Japan. It is an evergreen tree growing up to 15 metres tall. The nuts are edible for people but taste bitter. The nuts contain tannins, however soaking them in water removes them. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant.-External links:* * ...
) and Eriobotrya
Eriobotrya
Eriobotrya is a genus of about ten species of large evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosaceae, native to east and southeast Asia.-Species:By far the best known species is the Loquat, E...
species. Early instars are pale yellow, while later instars turn bluish green with the tubercles brown or reddish, tipped with white. Oblique stripes are formed of mauve or yellow tubercles on a white ground. The horn is green with paler tubercles.
Subspecies
- Marumba sperchius sperchius (from north-western India across north-eastern India, south-western, central and eastern China to the southern Russian Far East, North Korea, South Korea and Japan)
- Marumba sperchius sumatranus Clark, 1923 (Sumatra, Borneo)