Theretra tabibulensis 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 New Guinea

New Guinea

New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...

.

The length of the forewings is 32.5–38.7 mm for males and 34.2–40.7 for females. It is similar to Theretra indistincta papuensis

Theretra indistincta

Theretra indistincta is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Queensland, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Bismarck Archipelago....

but smaller, the forewing upperside is lighter with different colour tones on either side of the fifth postmedian line, which is continuous and the diffuse dark patch distal to the discal spot does not reach the fifth postmedian line.

Etymology

The specific name tabubilensis is derived from the mining town of Tabubil in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, where most specimens were collected.