''Macroglossum divergens'', the broad-bordered hummingbird hawkmoth, is a
moth of the family
Sphingidae. It was described by
Jean Baptiste Boisduval
Jean Baptiste Alphonse Déchauffour de Boisduval (24 June 1799 – 30 December 1879) was a French lepidopterist, botanist, and physician.
He was one of the most celebrated lepidopterists of France, and was the co-founder of the Société entomol ...
in 1875. It is found from north-eastern
Sikkim, India across southern
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
to
Cheju Island (South Korea), southern
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Taiwan and the
Philippines and then south through
Vietnam,
Thailand,
Malaysia and
Indonesia to
New Guinea and neighbouring islands. It may be in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
Description
The
wingspan is 50–60 mm. Head, thorax, and first two abdominal segments are rufus coloured. Third and fourth abdominal segments are with latrea; yellow bands and paired black dorsal spots. There is a black dorsal spot on the terminal segment. Ventral side is reddish. Forewings are greyish brown. Antemedial band is wide and recurved along the inner margin. Two curved postmedial diffused bands which are dark with reddish brown can be seen on their inner sides. Subapical markings are indistinct. Hindwings and ventral side is similar to ''
Macroglossum sitiene''.
Macroglossum heliophila MHNT CUT 2010 403 Puncak Palopo Sud Sulawesi male dorsal.jpg, Male dorsal
Macroglossum heliophila MHNT CUT 2010 403 Puncak Palopo Sud Sulawesi male ventral.jpg, Male ventral
There are two main colour forms in larva. In the green form, the head is yellowish green with the basal segment of the antenna greenish. Other segments are red. Eyes brownish. In the dark-coloured form, the head is pale brown. Body dark smoky olive green or olive brown, dotted with white. A bluish-black dorsal stripe is present. Horn reddish in both forms. Pupa is pinkish bone colour, but head, thorax and wing-case tinged with green.
Ecology
There are several generations per year in Hong Kong, with adults on wing in April and from June to December.
The larvae feed on ''
Psychotria rubra'' in Hong Kong and ''
Psychotria dalzellii'' in India. Other recorded food plants include ''
Morinda'' species. There are green, reddish brown and black forms of the fully grown larva. Early
instars are blood red with honey yellow at the anterior and posterior, the red fading and the body becoming greener with growth.
Subspecies
*''Macroglossum divergens divergens''
*''Macroglossum divergens heliophila''
Walker, 1856 (Sri Lanka)
References
Macroglossum
Moths described in 1875
Moths of Asia
Moths of Japan
Moths of Sri Lanka
{{Macroglossum-stub