Nephele oenopion is a moth

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 Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

.

The length of the forewings is 38-40 mm. The abdomen upperside has black patches. The forewing upperside has a small white basal dot. The basal band is irregular, olive-green to mid-green, edged with white basally and distally. The postmedian band is straight, broad and narrowing slightly toward the inner margin, which it meets at right angles. The inner margin between the basal and postmedian bands is edged with white. The discal spot is a minute white dot.

The larvae feed on Mussaenda arcuata.

Subspecies

• Nephele oenopion oenopion (from Gabon to Tanzania and Kenya and Madagascar)
• Nephele oenopion continentis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (forests from Sierra Leone to Congo and East Africa)
• Nephele oenopion stictica Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (Comoro Islands)
• Nephele oenopion transitoria Turlin, 1996 (Comoro Islands)