Hemaris molli
Encyclopedia
Hemaris molli 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 Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...

.

It is not clear if Hemaris molli is a valid species. It looks superficially like Hemaris fuciformis
Hemaris fuciformis
Hemaris fuciformis, known as the Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found in North Africa, Europe and Central and Eastern Asia.The wingspan is...

, although it lacks the dividing line of scales in the forewing cell. Furthermore, the genitalial preparation is close to that of Hemaris radians
Hemaris radians
Hemaris radians is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from southern Siberia, Mongolia, the southern Russian Far East, north-eastern and central-eastern China, the Korean Peninsula and Japan....

. The exact relationship between these taxa still needs to be clarified.

It is similar to Hemaris galunae
Hemaris galunae
Hemaris galunae is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Syria.Some authors regard Hemaris galunae as a dry zone form of H. tityus or as an isolated eastern population of H. aksana, left stranded as North Africa dried out after the last ice age...

, but the antennae are somewhat shorter. The forewing and hindwing marginal bands are broader than in related species. The forewing has a vein remnant running through it longitudinally. The basal field and inner edge angle of the hindwing upperside are extended, dark brown and scarcely lightened.
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