Temnora plagiata 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 found in 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 21-23 mm. The forewing outer margin is bisinuate, strongly convex in the middle and feebly denticulate. The underside of the abdomen has two series of brown dots. The forewing upperside has a conspicuous strongly curved brown antemedian band, a discal spot and a dark brown ring with a pale centre. There is also a large sharply defined quadrangular costal patch. The hindwing upperside is brownish-orange, the submarginal line brown, running continuous from the costa to the tornus but more weakly marked between veins. The marginal band is pale brown.

Subspecies

• Temnora plagiata plagiata (South Africa)
• Temnora plagiata fuscata Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (wooded habitats from Malawi to east and central Kenya and southern Ethiopia)