Sataspes tagalica

Sataspes tagalica
	From Lionel de Nicéville's 1900 "On new and little-known Lepidoptera from the Oriental region"
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Sataspes
Species:	S. tagalica
Binomial name
	Sataspes tagalica; Boisduval, 1875[1]
Synonyms
	Sataspes hauxwellii de Nicéville, 1900; Sataspes ventralis Butler, 1875; Sataspes tagalica chinensis Mell, 1922; Sataspes tagalica collaris Rothschild & Jordan, 1903; Sataspes tagalica protomelas (Seitz, 1929); Sataspes tagalica thoracica Rothschild & Jordan, 1903;

Sataspes tagalica, the brilliant carpenter-bee hawkmoth, is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875.

Distribution

It is known from western and north-eastern India, Nepal, Myanmar, eastern and southern China and Thailand.[2] The habitat consists of woodland margins and shady tracks through woodland, particularly near bodies of fresh water.

Description

The wingspan is 56–70 mm. It is a variable species with several named forms. It is a mimic of Xylocopa carpenter bees, with males and females mimicking different species.

Male dorsal view
Male ventral view
Female dorsal view
Female ventral view

Biology

It is a day-flying species. Adults are attracted to the flowers of Duranta erecta and Lantana camara.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on Dalbergia benthamii in Hong Kong.

References

"CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
Pittaway, A. R.; Kitching, I. J. (2018). "Sataspes tagalica tagalica Boisduval, [1875] -- Brilliant carpenter-bee hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. Retrieved December 17, 2018.

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[1] "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-11-01.

[2] Pittaway, A. R.; Kitching, I. J. (2018). "Sataspes tagalica tagalica Boisduval, [1875] -- Brilliant carpenter-bee hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. Retrieved December 17, 2018.