''Clanis bilineata'', the two-lined velvet hawkmoth, 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 w ...

of the family Sphingidae first described by Francis Walker in 1866.

Distribution

It is found in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, but see the subspecies section for a detailed range.

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 94–150 mm for subspecies ''C. b. bilineata'' and 94–120 mm for subspecies ''C. b. tsingtauica''. Clanis bilineata bilineata MHNT CUT 2010 0 104 Ban Van Heun Laos male dorsal.jpg, Male ''C. b. bilineata'' Clanis bilineata bilineata MHNT CUT 2010 0 104 Ban Van Heun Laos male ventral.jpg, Male ''C. b. bilineata'', underside Clanis bilineata bilineata MHNT CUT 2010 0 104 Ban Van Heun Laos female dorsal.jpg, Female ''C. b. bilineata'' Clanis bilineata bilineata MHNT CUT 2010 0 104 Ban Van Heun Laos female ventral.jpg, Female ''C. b. bilineata'', underside

Biology

Adults of the nominate subspecies are on wing from late February until October, with peaks in April, late July-early August, and mid-September in Hong Kong. There are multiple generations per year. Subspecies ''C. b. tsingtauica'' is on wing from May to late September in Korea. Larvae of the nominate subspecies have been recorded on '' Pongamia pinnata'', '' Millettia atropurpurea'' and ''

Pterocarpus marsupium ''Pterocarpus marsupium'', also known as Malabar kino, Indian kino, Vijayasar, or Venkai is a medium to large, deciduous tree that can grow up to tall. It is native to India (where it occurs in parts of the Western Ghats in the Karnataka-Kerala ...

'' in India. In southern China it has been recorded from ''

Mucuna ''Mucuna'' is a genus of around 100 accepted species of climbing lianas (vines) and shrubs of the family Fabaceae: tribe Phaseoleae, typically found in tropical forests. The leaves are trifoliolate, alternate, or spiraled, and the flowers are pe ...

'' and ''

Pueraria ''Pueraria'' is a genus of 15–20 species of legumes native to Asia. The best known member is kudzu, also called Japanese arrowroot. The genus is named after 19th century Swiss botanist Marc Nicolas Puerari. The genus, as traditionally circum ...

''. Subspecies ''C. b. tsingtauica'' is monophagous on

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

in China, including ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

'', '' Glycine'', ''

'', ''

'' and ''

Robinia ''Robinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, tribe Robinieae, native to North America. Commonly known as locusts, they are deciduous trees and shrubs growing tall. The leaves are pinnate with 7–21 oval leaflets. The flowe ...

'' species. Other recorded food plants include '' Olea'' and '' Paulownia'' but these are almost certainly erroneous. Subspecies ''C. b. tsingtauica'' is a major pest of soya beans in China, often defoliating entire fields.

Subspecies

Some authors recognise three distinct subspecies, while others regard them as synonyms: *''Clanis bilineata bilineata'' (southern India, then from Nepal and northern India (Sikkim) across southern China to Taiwan) *''Clanis bilineata formosana'' (Taiwan) *''Clanis bilineata tsingtauica'' (the Russian Far East, Japan, Korea and north-eastern China, as far south as Shaanxi and Zhejiang) Clanis bilineata formosana MHNT CUT 2010 0 72 Wushe Taiwan male dorsal.jpg, Male ''C. b. formosana'' Clanis bilineata formosana MHNT CUT 2010 0 72 Wushe Taiwan male ventral.jpg, Male ''C. b. formosana'', underside Clanis bilineata formosana MHNT CUT 2010 0 72 Wushe Taiwan female dorsal.jpg, Female ''C. b. formosana'' Clanis bilineata formosana MHNT CUT 2010 0 72 Wushe Taiwan female ventral.jpg, Female ''C. b. formosana'', underside

References

External links

* * * Clanis Moths described in 1866 Moths of Japan {{Smerinthini-stub