Temnora spiritus 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 known from forests 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...

 to 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...

, Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

 and western Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

.

The length of the forewings is 19-20 mm. It is similar in shape and markings to Temnora plagiata plagiata

Temnora plagiata

Temnora plagiata is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found in Africa.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...

but much paler overall, dark buff to creamy buff. The forewing outer margin is denticulate and the apex truncate-sinuate. The forewing upperside has a costal patch which is narrower than in Temnora plagiata plagiata. The hindwing is shaded with burnt amber-brown. The marginal band is brown

Subspecies

• Temnora spiritus spiritus
• Temnora spiritus akissi Pierre, 1989 (Nigeria)