Polyptychus nigriplaga
Encyclopedia
Polyptychus nigriplaga is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from central and west Africa
.
The length of the forewings is 29-36 mm for males. The forewings and body are pale cinnamon to creamy clay. There is a dark mesial streak on the head and thorax and a dark dot at the base of the forewing and one at the costa, near the apex. The wavy transverse
lines of the forewing are very variable in intensity, some specimens being almost unmarked (these are known as form barnsi, although this is sometimes treated as a valid species), others being very heavily marked (form kivui, although this form is sometimes treated as a subspecies). The hindwings are paler, but darker at the tornus. The inner marginal black streak and tornal spots are present but variable. The length of the forewings for females is 33 mm. The apex and tornus are more acute that in the male. The groundcolour is russet but darker towards the termen. The wavy transverse lines and stigma are faint, as is the subapical dot. There is no basal dot. The hindwings are uniformly russet with dark tomal spots and a faint inner marginal streak.
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 central and west 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 29-36 mm for males. The forewings and body are pale cinnamon to creamy clay. There is a dark mesial streak on the head and thorax and a dark dot at the base of the forewing and one at the costa, near the apex. The wavy transverse
lines of the forewing are very variable in intensity, some specimens being almost unmarked (these are known as form barnsi, although this is sometimes treated as a valid species), others being very heavily marked (form kivui, although this form is sometimes treated as a subspecies). The hindwings are paler, but darker at the tornus. The inner marginal black streak and tornal spots are present but variable. The length of the forewings for females is 33 mm. The apex and tornus are more acute that in the male. The groundcolour is russet but darker towards the termen. The wavy transverse lines and stigma are faint, as is the subapical dot. There is no basal dot. The hindwings are uniformly russet with dark tomal spots and a faint inner marginal streak.
Subspecies
- Polyptychus nigriplaga nigriplaga
- Polyptychus nigriplaga kivui Clark, 1926 (Lowland forest from Liberia and the Ivory Coast to the Congo and Uganda)