Phylloxiphia oweni
Encyclopedia
Phylloxiphia oweni is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is found from Sierra Leone
east to the Central African Republic
and then south to Gabon
, the Republic of the Congo
and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
.
The length of the forewings is about 48 mm. The groundcolour of the forewing upperside is shiny wood brown. There are extremely faint transverse bands and an extremely faint oblique streak from the apex. There is also a dark hair pencil at the base of the inner margin. The groundcolour of the upperside of the hindwing is blood red. There is a very narrow purplish brown border along the outer margin which becomes wider before the tornus, where it shades to buff-pink. The groundcolour of the underside of the forewing is blood red for the basal half, except at inner margin which is cartridge buff. The apical half shades through light pinkish cinnamon to wood brown. There is an evenly curved oblique dark line running from the apex to vein four, presumably continued by the terminal line of the hind wing when the insect is at rest, as in other species of the genus. The underside of the hindwing is light pinkish cinnamon with a broad red streak parallel to the inner margin.
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 found from Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
east to the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
and then south to Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, the Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
.
The length of the forewings is about 48 mm. The groundcolour of the forewing upperside is shiny wood brown. There are extremely faint transverse bands and an extremely faint oblique streak from the apex. There is also a dark hair pencil at the base of the inner margin. The groundcolour of the upperside of the hindwing is blood red. There is a very narrow purplish brown border along the outer margin which becomes wider before the tornus, where it shades to buff-pink. The groundcolour of the underside of the forewing is blood red for the basal half, except at inner margin which is cartridge buff. The apical half shades through light pinkish cinnamon to wood brown. There is an evenly curved oblique dark line running from the apex to vein four, presumably continued by the terminal line of the hind wing when the insect is at rest, as in other species of the genus. The underside of the hindwing is light pinkish cinnamon with a broad red streak parallel to the inner margin.