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Moth of the Week
Oleander Hawk Moth
Daphnis nerii
The oleander hawk-moth or army green moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae, or the hawk moth family. It was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. The moth gets its names from the oleander plant it feeds on and it’s green colors.
Description This moths body is covered in varying shades of green with accents of tan, while, gray, pink, and black. The shades of each color varies per moth. The intricate patterns on the moth are symmetrical and mirror each other. At its head, the moth is dark green with white details, which then splits into a light green. After the light green is a band of white then a segmented green lower body. The forewings are similar with a dark green and white top and two eye like spots at the next to the head. The forewings turn pink near the center and transition back into green and white with a purple-grey mark on the lower edge. The forewings are shaped differently then most with a curved cut u see the purple-gray mark. The hindwings are much smaller and the same purple-gray with a green bottom edge. The antenna are filiform or wires.
Average wingspan: 11 cm (≈4.3 in)
Diet and Habitat The caterpillars mainly eat the leaves of the oleander plant. This plant is highly toxic, however, the caterpillars are immune. They also eat other plants of the dogbane family and the unbloomed flowers of the pinwheelflower at night. The adults feed on nectar from flowers. They prefer fragrant flowers like petunia, jasmine and honeysuckle. They drink at night. This species is found in wide areas of Africa, Asia and Hawaii. It flies to eastern and southern Europe during the summer, particularly Turkey. On rare occasions, they can even reach western Europe such as England and Scotland. They prefer warm habitats on hillsides and scrublands. In southern Europe, this moth finds itself home in dry riverbeds.
Mating Amount of eggs and season unrecorded. However, the flight season for oleander hawk moths is August to October which may also be when they hatch.
Predators This moth is hunted by birds, lizards, bats, and other common moth predators. The caterpillars of the oleander hawk moth use eyespots to trick predators into thinking they are larger animals.
Fun Fact Moths in the Sphingidae family have impressive flying and hovering ability. This ability is used to drink the nectar from flowers.
(Source: Wikipedia, AZ Animals, Time To Breed, Butterfly Conservation, Pyrgus.de)