Nephele comma
Encyclopedia
Nephele comma is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is very common throughout the Ethiopian Region, including Madagascar
.
The length of the forewings is 32-39 mm and the wingspan
is 76-86 mm. It is a very variable species. The body and forewings are dark olive green to reddish-brown and to light ochreous-brown. The dorsum of the abdomen is broadly of the same colour as the thorax. There are three large quadrate blackish lateral spots. The forewings have irregular dark transverse bands which are usually much better developed in the olive or ochreous specimens than in the reddish ones. The terminal area has a greyish tinge, usually in distinct contrast with the remainder of the wing and clearly defined proximally by a regular blackish submarginal line running from the apex to the tornus. In the typical form, the stigma is a prominent silvery white reversed comma with its curve towards the base of the wing and its extremities towards the termen. This stigma is even more dilated posteriorly and reduced anteriorly in form charoba and is reduced to a tiny dot or altogether absent in form derasa. The hindwings are various shades of olive, with a darker margin.
The larvae feed on the leaves of 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 very common throughout the Ethiopian Region, including Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
.
The length of the forewings is 32-39 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 76-86 mm. It is a very variable species. The body and forewings are dark olive green to reddish-brown and to light ochreous-brown. The dorsum of the abdomen is broadly of the same colour as the thorax. There are three large quadrate blackish lateral spots. The forewings have irregular dark transverse bands which are usually much better developed in the olive or ochreous specimens than in the reddish ones. The terminal area has a greyish tinge, usually in distinct contrast with the remainder of the wing and clearly defined proximally by a regular blackish submarginal line running from the apex to the tornus. In the typical form, the stigma is a prominent silvery white reversed comma with its curve towards the base of the wing and its extremities towards the termen. This stigma is even more dilated posteriorly and reduced anteriorly in form charoba and is reduced to a tiny dot or altogether absent in form derasa. The hindwings are various shades of olive, with a darker margin.
The larvae feed on the leaves of 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.