Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Sphingidae Scientific name Polyptychus affinis | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Polyptychus Rank Species | |
 | ||
Similar Polyptychus, Butterflies and moths, Polyptychus andosa, Macroglossum trochilus, Zamarada | ||
Polyptychus affinis is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from forest up to 6,000 feet (1,800 m) from Sierra Leone to the Congo, Uganda and western Kenya.
The length of the forewings is 28–30 millimetres (1.1–1.2 in) for males. The forewings are grey with a prominent black basal spot, and wavy transverse dark lines. The body is grey with a median blackish streak on the head and thorax. The hindwings are grey with a black streak near the inner margin and one or two black spots near the tornus. Females are larger. They have purplish chocolate forewings, mottled with lighter brown. The hindwings are darker than the forewings. The black inner marginal streak and tornal spots are present.
The larvae feed on Detarium senegalense and Albizia species.
Taxonomy
Polyptychus retusus is sometimes treated as a valid species.