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Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk MothsIs it an Oleander Hawk Moth?
March 19, 2010
I’ve spotted this cute looking moth at a playground, fortunately I happened to have my camera with me. It’s a rather large moth – I would say around 8-10 cm wingspan. Searching the web, I found it to resemble the Oleander Hawk Moth -
http://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/oleander_hawkmoth_india.jpg
only my fellow is yellow-brown rather than green. Can you help me identify it please?
Gal
Israel, Tel Aviv area
Oleander Hawkmoth
Hi Gal,
The markings on your moth sure look like those of the Oleander Hawkmoth, Daphnis nerii, but as you point out, the coloration is unusual. We found a Sphingidae of Israel website that pictures an Oleander Hawkmoth, and nothing else pictured looks remotely similar. The Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic website does show a more brown specimen, but it also depicts a closely related species on another page, Daphnis hypothous, that is brown. The site indicates that a white spot on the forewing apex identifies the latter species, and that spot is missing from your specimen. We believe your specimen is a color variation of the Oleander Hawkmoth, but we will contact Bill Oehlke to verify that identification.
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