Nephele argentifera
Encyclopedia
Nephele argentifera is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from coastal bush and savanna from Somalia
to northern South Africa
.
The length of the forewings is 32-35 mm and the wingspan
is 78-85 mm. The black lateral spots of the abdomen are large and well defined. The ground colour of the body and forewings is dark olive, usually fading to light ochreous brown. The forewings have a straight silvery-white subbasal band and a thick silvery-white postmedial band with the proximal margin evenly curved and the distal margin
straight. The stigma consists of a large silvery-white triangular spot. The hindwings are olive with a wide blackish margin.
The larvae feed on Carissa
species.
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 coastal bush and savanna from Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
to northern 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 32-35 mm 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 78-85 mm. The black lateral spots of the abdomen are large and well defined. The ground colour of the body and forewings is dark olive, usually fading to light ochreous brown. The forewings have a straight silvery-white subbasal band and a thick silvery-white postmedial band with the proximal margin evenly curved and the distal margin
straight. The stigma consists of a large silvery-white triangular spot. The hindwings are olive with a wide blackish margin.
The larvae feed on Carissa
Carissa
Carissa is a genus of about 20-30 species of shrubs or small trees native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Australia and Asia....
species.