Basiothia medea

Basiothia medea
Basiothia medea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Basiothia
Species: B. medea
Binomial name
Basiothia medea
(Fabricius, 1781)[1]
Synonyms
  • Sphinx medea Fabricius, 1781
  • Sphinx minus Fabricius, 1787
  • Sphinx idrieus Drury, 1782
  • Sphinx clio Fabricius, 1793
  • Sphinx onothberina Martyn, 1797
  • Choerocampa transfigurata Wallengren, 1860
  • Basiothia nigrita Clark, 1920
  • Basiothia idricus Walker, 1856

The Small Verdant Hawk (Basiothia medea) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is common in open habitats throughout the Ethiopian Region, including Madagascar. It is however probably absent from the equatorial forest belt, except as a vagrant. The species is an active migrant.[2]

The length of the forewings is 22-25 mm and the wingspan is 49-63 mm. The body is grass green. The forewings are grass green with two or three faint darker green transverse lines. The hindwings are dull orange with a narrow brown margin.

The larvae feed on Spermacoce natalensis, Dioda, Spermacoce, Pentas and Pentasinia species.[3]

References

  1. ^ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. https://www.cate-sphingidae.org/taxonomy/Basiothia/medea.html. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
  2. ^ "Revised Catalogue of the African Sphingidae (Lepidoptera) with Descriptions of the East African species". Biodiversitylibrary.org. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/jeanhs/XXVI%20No.3%20(115)_1_1967_Carcasson.pdf. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
  3. ^ Afromoths[dead link]
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