Cephonodes kingii

Cephonodes kingii, the gardenia bee hawk, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.

Cephonodes kingii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Sphingidae
Genus:
Cephonodes
Species:
C. kingii
Binomial name
Cephonodes kingii
Synonyms
  • Macroglossum kingii W.S. Macleay, 1826
  • Cephonodes bucklandii Butler, 1884

Distribution

It is found in the northern two thirds of Australia.

Description

The wingspan is about 40 mm. Adults resemble bumble bees. They are mostly green with a yellow abdomen and a black band around the first few abdominal segments, and a dark mark on the next segment. There is a black fringe around the tip of the abdomen. The wings are mostly transparent except for an opaque area near the tip of the forewings.

  • Dorsal (coll.MHNT)
  • Ventral (coll.MHNT)

Biology

Adults feed on flower nectar.

The larvae have been recorded on Gardenia jasminoides, Canthium attenuatum, Canthium coprosmoides, Canthium odoratum, Canthium oleifolium, Gardenia ovularis, Gardenia ochreata, Pavetta australiensis, Medicago sativa and Citrus limon. Young larvae are pale green with a short black tail horn. Later, they become black, grey, or green, often with black lines across the back. They have a posterior horn shaped like a shallow S, and have white spiracles along each side outlined in red. The head colour varies from brown to green. Pupation takes place underground in a dark brown pupa.[2]

References
  1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  2. "Australian Insects". Lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au. 2010-09-13. Retrieved 2011-10-19.


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