''Gnathothlibus erotus'', the white-brow hawkmoth, 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 ...

. The species was first described by

Pieter Cramer Pieter Cramer (21 May 1721 (baptized) – 28 September 1776) was a wealthy Netherlands, Dutch merchant in linen and Spanish wool, remembered as an entomologist. Cramer was the director of the Zealand Society, a scientific society located in Flushin ...

in 1777.

Taxonomic notes

*''Gnathothlibus erotus'' (Oriental tropics) *''Gnathothlibus erotus eras'' (from the Moluccas eastwards) transferred to ''

Gnathothlibus eras ''Gnathothlibus eras'' is a moth of the family Sphingidae. Distribution It is known from the eastern Sunda Islands (from Java eastward), Sulawesi, the Moluccas, the Philippines, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Micronesia and eastern Australia ...

Distribution

This species can be found from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

and from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

and eastwards into

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

as far as

Pitcairn Island Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island of the Pitcairn Islands, in the southern Pacific Ocean, of which many inhabitants are descendants of mutineers of HMS ''Bounty''. Geography The island is of volcanic origin, with a rugged cliff ...

. Moths of Borneo
/ref>

Description

Larvae have been recorded on a wide range of plants, including ''

Ipomoea batatas The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...

'', ''

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern ...

'', ''

Dillenia alata ''Dillenia alata'', commonly known as red beech, golden guinea flower or golden guinea tree, is a tree in the Dilleniaceae family, found in New Guinea, and the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia. It has found some popularity as an o ...

'', '' Escallonia macrantha'', ''

Melastoma affine ''Melastoma affine'', also known by the common names blue tongue, straits rhododendron or native lassiandra, is a shrub of the family Melastomataceae. Distributed in tropical and sub-tropical forests of India, South-east Asia and Australia, it i ...

'', ''

Pentas lanceolata ''Pentas lanceolata'', commonly known as Egyptian starcluster, is a species of flowering plant in the madder family, Rubiaceae that is native to tropical Africa from Sudan to Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique, as well as Saudi Arabi ...

'', '' Cayratia acris'', '' Cayratia clematidea'', '' Cayratia trifolia'', ''

Leea indica ''Leea indica'' is a large shrub in the family Vitaceae which may grow up to tall. It is common in undergrowth of secondary and disturbed evergreen forests in Indomalaya, Indochina, and throughout in the Western Ghats of India. Plants growing ...

'' ''

Parthenocissus quinquefolia ''Parthenocissus quinquefolia'', commonly known as Virginia creeper, woodbine, five-leaved ivy, or five-finger, is a species of flowering vine in the grape family Vitaceae. The species is native to eastern and central North America, with its r ...

'', ''

Hibbertia scandens ''Hibbertia scandens'', sometimes known by the common names snake vine, climbing guinea flower and golden guinea vine, is a species of flowering plant in the family Dilleniaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is climber or scrambler wit ...

'', ''

Cissus ''Cissus'' is a genus of approximately 350 species of lianas (Woody plant, woody vines) in the grape family (Vitaceae). They have a cosmopolitan distribution, though the majority are to be found in the tropics. Decription Extrafloral nectaries ...

'' and ''

Morinda ''Morinda'' is a genus of flowering plants in the madder family, Rubiaceae. The generic name is derived from the Latin words ''morus'' "mulberry", from the appearance of the fruits, and ''indica'', meaning "of India". Description Distributed ...

''. Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stell
Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths
Gnathothlibus erotus MHNT CUT 2010 0 508 Sumatra, male dorsal.jpg, ''Gnathothlibus erotus'' ♂ Gnathothlibus erotus MHNT CUT 2010 0 508 Sumatra, male ventral.jpg, ''Gnathothlibus erotus'' ♂ △

References

External links

''Gnathothlibus erotus''
Cook Islands Biodiversity Database Gnathothlibus Moths described in 1777 Taxa named by Pieter Cramer Moths of Indonesia Moths of Oceania {{Macroglossini-stub