Nephele lannini
Encyclopedia
Nephele lannini is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from highland forests in Zimbabwe
, Malawi
and southern Tanzania
.
The length of the forewings is 31-33 mm. The head, thorax and forewings are very dark olive brown. The abdomen has all segments marked with black, the black lateral spots are almost meeting on the dorsum, where they are separated by a small dark olive spot, and separated longitudinally by almost uninterrupted pale buffish brown transverse stripes at the posterior margin of each tergite. The forewings are very broad and rounded and the apex is acute and very slightly falcate, mottled with blackish and with a faint diffuse black bar running from the middle of the costa to the tornus. There is a conspicuous irregular, interrupted submarginal pale grey line, edged proximally with black. The hindwings are uniformly dark brown.
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 highland forests in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
and southern Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
.
The length of the forewings is 31-33 mm. The head, thorax and forewings are very dark olive brown. The abdomen has all segments marked with black, the black lateral spots are almost meeting on the dorsum, where they are separated by a small dark olive spot, and separated longitudinally by almost uninterrupted pale buffish brown transverse stripes at the posterior margin of each tergite. The forewings are very broad and rounded and the apex is acute and very slightly falcate, mottled with blackish and with a faint diffuse black bar running from the middle of the costa to the tornus. There is a conspicuous irregular, interrupted submarginal pale grey line, edged proximally with black. The hindwings are uniformly dark brown.