''Hippotion geryon'' 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 is known from

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

and the

Comoro Islands The Comoro Islands are a group of volcanic islands in the Mozambique Channel, an arm of the Indian Ocean lying between Madagascar and the African mainland. Three of the islands form the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign nation, while Mayotte bel ...

. It is similar to '' Hippotion osiris'', but is immediately distinguishable by the lack of pink coloration on the hindwing upperside and the single pair of black abdominal patches. The upperside of the antennae is conspicuously pink-scaled. The base of the abdomen has a single pair of large, square, black subdorsal patches. The forewing upperside is very similar to ''Hippotion osiris'' but differing in the distal part of the longitudinal pale band through the discal cell being absent beyond the discal spot. The hindwing upperside is dark brown with a buff patch on the inner margin and a buff postmedian band.

References

* Pinhey, E. (1962): ''Hawk Moths of Central and Southern Africa''. Longmans Southern Africa, Cape Town. Hippotion Moths described in 1875 Moths of Madagascar Moths of the Comoros Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Boisduval {{Macroglossini-stub