Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Sphingidae Scientific name Theretra silhetensis | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Theretra Rank Species | |
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Similar Theretra, Theretra clotho, Theretra nessus, Theretra latreillii, Hippotion velox | ||
Theretra silhetensis (brown-banded hunter hawkmoth) is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It lives in Indo-Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, East Australia, Solomon Islands, Fiji Islands, Vanuatu Islands.
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Description
The wingspan is 60–72 mm. It is differs from T. oldenlandiae in being very much paler in color and with white line down center of abdomen. Fore wing has a silvery line beyond the oblique brown band. Other parts are ochreous. Larvae are exceedingly variable, from yellow green and green to brown or greyish black ones. But the commonly found color of larva is green in color, with a reddish-brown dorsal area. There is a subdorsal paler line with equal-sized ocelli from 4th to 10th somites with green center. Horn is reddish-brown as well.
Ecology
Larvae have been recorded feeding on Colocasia antiquorum and Ludwigia species in southern China, Colocasia esculenta in Japan, Ludwigia repens and Boerhavia species in India and numerous other hostplants from elsewhere, including Arum, Caladium, Pistia, Kochia, Ipomoea, Boerhavia, Ludwigia, Rosa and Trapa species.