''Polyptychus baxteri'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths ( Lepidoptera) 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, ...

. It is known from eastern and western Africa. The length of the forewings is 26 mm for males, females are somewhat larger. The larvae feed on ''

Thespesia ''Thespesia'' is a genus of 13 flowering shrubs and trees in the '' Hibiscus'' family, Malvaceae, although within the family they are more closely related to cotton plants ('' Gossypium''). The genus is distributed from the South Pacific thro ...

'' species.

Subspecies

*''Polyptychus baxteri baxteri'' (Braehystegia savanna and woodland in Tanzania and Zambia) *''Polyptychus baxteri jansei'' Clark, 1936 (Zimbabwe and western Mozambique)

References

Polyptychus Moths described in 1908 Moths of Sub-Saharan Africa Lepidoptera of Mozambique Lepidoptera of Tanzania Lepidoptera of Zambia Lepidoptera of Zimbabwe Taxa named by Walter Rothschild Taxa named by Karl Jordan {{Smerinthini-stub