Nephele peneus
Encyclopedia
Nephele peneus is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from forests and woodland from Senegal
to East Africa, Angola
and Delagoa Bay.
The length of the forewings is 33-40 mm. All abdominal segments are marked with broad blackish spots separated by a pale brownish buff band at the posterior margin. The olive dorsal spots are rather wide. The forewings are broad, with an evenly rounded termen. They are olive grey, banded and mottled with blackish and sometimes ochreous. The submarginal band is very irregular and indistinct. The silvery white stigma consists of a small anterior
comma and of a wide angled V shape. In some specimens, the arms of the V do not meet at the apex and the stigma then consists of three spots. Occasional specimens without the stigma are referable to form innotata.
The larvae feed on an unidentified Asclepiadoideae creeper. They have an olive coloured head with a darker line on each cheek with a paler one behind it. The body is olive-green. The pupa is made in a slight cocoon in surface litter. It is dark dull chestnut, with a blackish dorsal line.
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 forests and woodland from Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
to East Africa, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
and Delagoa Bay.
The length of the forewings is 33-40 mm. All abdominal segments are marked with broad blackish spots separated by a pale brownish buff band at the posterior margin. The olive dorsal spots are rather wide. The forewings are broad, with an evenly rounded termen. They are olive grey, banded and mottled with blackish and sometimes ochreous. The submarginal band is very irregular and indistinct. The silvery white stigma consists of a small anterior
comma and of a wide angled V shape. In some specimens, the arms of the V do not meet at the apex and the stigma then consists of three spots. Occasional specimens without the stigma are referable to form innotata.
The larvae feed on an unidentified Asclepiadoideae creeper. They have an olive coloured head with a darker line on each cheek with a paler one behind it. The body is olive-green. The pupa is made in a slight cocoon in surface litter. It is dark dull chestnut, with a blackish dorsal line.