''Rodolphia'' is a genus of

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s in the family

Sesiidae The Sesiidae or clearwing moths are a diurnality, diurnal moth family (biology), family in the order Lepidoptera known for their Batesian mimicry in both appearance and behaviour of various Hymenoptera. The family consists of 165 genus, genera ...

containing only one species, ''Rodolphia hombergi'', which is known from

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. The species Rodolphia hombergi is highly distinctive and sexually dimorphic. The four Bekily specimens under examination are part of a sizable homogenous series that was captured at the same location and time. There is no question about the conspecificity of the females in this series because they closely resemble the female holotype in terms of size and coloring. This series was also the basis for Viette's description of the male. Malgassesia pauliani Viette, 1955 syn. nov. male holotype is a very damaged, greasy specimen. It can be challenging to tell, but the labial palps, wings, and abdomen are identical in structure and color to the males from Bekily. Additionally, all of the specimens under examination were collected in southern Madagascar, fewer than 180 kilometers away from one another.

References

Sesiidae Moths of Madagascar Moths of Africa Moths described in 1911 {{Sesiidae-stub