Have you ever spotted the oleander hawk moth also known as Daphnis nerii? If you look closely, you will be struck by its spectacular markings. Most of us are so enamoured by butterflies that we do not realise moths too can be beautiful.
According to a moth website, hawk moths belong to the family of Sphingidae. They are fairly large with thick furry bodies that taper toward the rear.
Their narrow, angular wings are shaped unusually for a moth.
Joseph Hoover says, “Moths, butterflies and beetles are spotted regularly in Rajarajeswarinagar. But the oleander hawk is one of the most stunning moths I have ever seen.”
Scientists estimate that there are 1,50,000 to more than 5,00,000 moth species. Their colours and patterns are either dazzling or cryptic like the hawk moth. Moths come in all shapes and sizes -- from being small as a pinhead to large as an adult’s hand.
According to scientists, hawk moths are important pollinators of native plants and are believed to get their name due to their rapid movement in flight.
Ashok Sengupta adds, “The oleander moth is one of the common moths in urban jungles or gardens. They lays eggs individually on both sides of oleander leaves. The caterpillar is a voracious eater and a few of them can strip down a full oleander plant in no time. The moth is nocturnal like most moths and are seen on an oleander plant as they have vibrant green colours. Most emerge late in the evening but do not take flight until just before dawn. Adult oleander hawk-moths can be observed in flight between May and September.”
According to Wiki, the adults feed on nectar of a great variety of flowers.
They have a preference for fragrant species like petunias, jasmine and honey suckle; They are specially active during twilight, hovering over flowers after sunset. The caterpillars feed mainly on oleander (Nerium oleander) leaves, a highly toxic plant which is grown on the roadsides.
Newly hatched oleander hawk-moth larvae are three to four millimetres in length, bright yellow, and have a black, elongated ‘horn’ on the rear of the body. As they get older, the larvae change from green to brown with a large blue-and-white eye-spot near the head and a yellow ‘horn’ on the rear. To the lay man the ‘horn’ and ‘eye’ looks ‘scary’, but that is its identity, which kind of says, ‘Don’t touch!’
