''Daphnis layardii'' is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as hornworms. It includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species ar ...

. It was described by

Frederic Moore Frederic Moore FZS (13 May 1830 – 10 May 1907) was a British entomologist and illustrator. He produced six volumes of ''Lepidoptera Indica'' and a catalogue of the birds in the collection of the East India Company. It has been said that Mo ...

in 1882 and is known from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. It is similar to ''

Daphnis moorei ''Daphnis moorei'' is a moth of the family Sphingidae first described by William John Macleay in 1866. It is known from Indonesia (including the Moluccas), Papua New Guinea and the northern half of Australia. The forewing upperside is similar to ...

'' but smaller. The forewing upperside is similar to ''Daphnis moorei'', but the white highlighting of many of the pattern elements reduced or absent, giving a much flatter and less contrasted pattern. The antemedian line is distinct only anteriorly.

References

Daphnis (moth) Moths described in 1882 Taxa named by Frederic Moore Moths of Sri Lanka {{Macroglossini-stub