Nephele rosae
Encyclopedia
Nephele rosae is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from Africa
.
The length of the forewings is 40-45 mm. It is very similar to Nephele oenopion
, but larger and the subbasal band is wider and without white edges. The stigma is present in the form of a small white comma. The postmedial band is proximally straight, and edged with white. The distal border is without white edging. The marginal area is as in Nephele oenopion, but even more irregular and more contrasting with ground colour. The hindwings are blackish with an olive suffusion at the base. Subspecies illustris is larger (the length of the forewings is 44-48 mm). It differs also in lacking the stigma and in having a much broader white proximal margin to the postmedial band.
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 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 40-45 mm. It is very similar to Nephele oenopion
Nephele oenopion
Nephele oenopion is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Africa.The length of the forewings is 38-40 mm. The abdomen upperside has black patches. The forewing upperside has a small white basal dot. The basal band is irregular, olive-green to mid-green, edged with white basally and...
, but larger and the subbasal band is wider and without white edges. The stigma is present in the form of a small white comma. The postmedial band is proximally straight, and edged with white. The distal border is without white edging. The marginal area is as in Nephele oenopion, but even more irregular and more contrasting with ground colour. The hindwings are blackish with an olive suffusion at the base. Subspecies illustris is larger (the length of the forewings is 44-48 mm). It differs also in lacking the stigma and in having a much broader white proximal margin to the postmedial band.
Subspecies
- Nephele rosae rosae (forest and woodland from Sierra Leone to Angola and Uganda)
- Nephele rosae illustris Jordan, 1920 (South Africa and Mozambique to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and the coast of Kenya)