Platysphinx piabilis
Encyclopedia
Platysphinx piabilis is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from Savanna and other open habitats in southern and eastern Africa
.
The length of the forewings is 58-62 mm for males and 60-65 mm for females and the wingspan
is 109-132 mm. There are red spots on the hindwing, which are evenly distributed and not arranged in regular bands. The forewing of the females is broader, less acuminate, darker and more reddish than in males. The hindwings are more heavily spotted with red. It is separable from Platysphinx phyllis
and Platysphinx stigmatica
only convincingly by examining the genitalia.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Pterocarpus angolensis.
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 Savanna and other open habitats in southern and eastern 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 58-62 mm for males and 60-65 mm for females and the wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 109-132 mm. There are red spots on the hindwing, which are evenly distributed and not arranged in regular bands. The forewing of the females is broader, less acuminate, darker and more reddish than in males. The hindwings are more heavily spotted with red. It is separable from Platysphinx phyllis
Platysphinx phyllis
Platysphinx phyllis is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Sierra Leone to Nigeria.The length of the forewings is 58-62 mm for males and 60-65 mm for females. There are red spots on the hindwing, which are evenly distributed and not arranged in regular bands. The forewing of the...
and Platysphinx stigmatica
Platysphinx stigmatica
Platysphinx stigmatica is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from forests from Nigeria to the Congo, Angola and western Uganda....
only convincingly by examining the genitalia.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Pterocarpus angolensis.