''Macroglossum gyrans'' 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 Francis Walker in 1856 and is known from

South-east Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Australian mainland, which is part of Oceania. Southeast Asia i ...

and

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 ...

Description

The length of the forewings is 16–23 mm. The upperside of the head, thorax, and basal half of the abdomen are the same grey colour as the forewing upperside. The underside of the palpus, thorax, and legs are almost pure white. The sides of the thorax and legs are shaded or speckled with brown scales. The abdomen underside is grey brown. The forewing upperside is grey. Both wing undersides are dull ochraceous tawny, shaded with grey brown, the bases are more rusty brown. The hindwing upperside is not darker at the base than in the middle and is tawny-rust coloured, gradually becoming brown distally, but the brown border is not sharply defined and the lines are not prominent. The hindwing underside inner area is pale yellow at the base. Macroglossum gyrans MHNT CUT 2010 0 42 Lonavla Western Ghats India dorsal.jpg, Dorsal view Macroglossum gyrans MHNT CUT 2010 0 42 Lonavla Western Ghats India ventral.jpg, Ventral view

Ecology

The caterpillar is found on '' Morinda'' and ''

Strychnos ''Strychnos'' is a genus of flowering plants, belonging to the family Loganiaceae (sometimes Strychnaceae). The genus includes about 200 accepted species of trees and lianas. The genus is widely distributed around the world's tropics and is n ...

''.

References

External links

The Hawkmoth ''Macroglossum gyrans'' and its interaction with some plant species at Visakhapatnam
Macroglossum Moths described in 1856 Moths of Madagascar Moths of Asia Moths of Africa Taxa named by Francis Walker (entomologist) {{Macroglossum-stub