Temnora pylas
Encyclopedia
Temnora pylas is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from South Africa
and Zimbabwe
.
The forewing upperside ground colour is pale brown, with darker brown transverse bands and other markings. The basal band is dark brown and the subbasal band consists of two dark brown lines separated by the ground colour. The antemedian band is dark brown but with some ground colour medially. It is evenly curved from the costa to the inner margin. The postmedian band is dark brown. The forewing underside is uniformly orange-brown. The hindwing upperside is basally yellow, the postmedian band is orange and the marginal band is pale brown, the borders between these are very diffuse. The orange postmedian band is twice the width of the brown marginal band. The outer margin has a dark shade. The hindwing underside is uniformly orange-brown. The inner edge is yellowish near the base.
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 South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
The forewing upperside ground colour is pale brown, with darker brown transverse bands and other markings. The basal band is dark brown and the subbasal band consists of two dark brown lines separated by the ground colour. The antemedian band is dark brown but with some ground colour medially. It is evenly curved from the costa to the inner margin. The postmedian band is dark brown. The forewing underside is uniformly orange-brown. The hindwing upperside is basally yellow, the postmedian band is orange and the marginal band is pale brown, the borders between these are very diffuse. The orange postmedian band is twice the width of the brown marginal band. The outer margin has a dark shade. The hindwing underside is uniformly orange-brown. The inner edge is yellowish near the base.
Subspecies
- Temnora pylas pylas (South Africa to Zimbabwe)
- Temnora pylas exilis Kernbach, 1962 (Zimbabwe)