Theretra pallicosta

White-edged hunter hawkmoth
	Caterpillar, from Peravoor, India
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Theretra
Species:	T. pallicosta
Binomial name
	Theretra pallicosta; (Walker, 1856)[1]
Synonyms
	Chaerocampa pallicosta Walker, 1856;

Theretra pallicosta, the white-edged hunter hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae described by Francis Walker in 1856. It is found from Sri Lanka and India, east through Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar to Hong Kong and Taiwan and south through Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia (Sumatra, Java).[2]

Live adullt Theretra pallicosta.

Description

The wingspan is 70–90 mm. It is distinguishable from all other Theretra species by the white forewing costa and discal spot, and a narrow white dorsal line restricted to the thorax. The thorax has a white medial line. The forewing upperside is purplish brown with only a serrate postmedian line clearly visible. The discal spot has the form of a small white dot. The costa is highlighted with white. The hindwing upperside is orange with a slightly darker, diffuse marginal band.[3]

Male dorsal
Male ventral
Dorsal view of female
Ventral view of female

Biology

The larvae have been recorded on Aporosa dioica in China, Aporosa species in India and Myanmar, Vitis species in Pakistan and Polyalthia cerasoides in Thailand.

References

"CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
Pittaway, A. R.; Kitching, I. J. (2018). "Theretra pallicosta (Walker, 1856) -- White-edged hunter hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
Hampson, G. F. (1892). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume I. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.

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[1] "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-10-25.

[2] Pittaway, A. R.; Kitching, I. J. (2018). "Theretra pallicosta (Walker, 1856) -- White-edged hunter hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. Retrieved December 17, 2018.

[3] Hampson, G. F. (1892). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume I. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.