Aussie White-brow Hawk Moth at Charleys Forest, NSW
Identification history
| Gnathothlibus eras | 20 Dec 2024 | ibaird | ||
| Gnathothlibus eras | 20 Dec 2024 | donhe | ||
| Sphingidae | 18 Dec 2024 | ibaird | ||
| Sphingidae | 18 Dec 2024 | WendyEM | ||
| Unverified | 18 Dec 2024 | arjay |
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User's notes
Two individuals. Slightly different (one has a red stripe). I assume they are the same species. Happily chomping grapevine leaves.
8 comments
WendyEM
wrote:
19 Dec 2024
I have looked through the plates of larval instars in Mon. Aust. Lepidoptera Vol.13 - Hawkmoths of Australia Moulds, Tuttle & Lane. The larvae are probably different instars hence different markings. Or the green one may be injured/parasitised, it looks a bit discoloured. Some species have different colour forms too. Many species eat plants in the Vitaceae. Despite a lot of looking I can't find a match I am confident of in this comprehensive book.
arjay
wrote:
19 Dec 2024
Thanks. I thought the green one was injured and has since died. Not parasitised. The other is still out there. I will watch out for a pupa. Very likely won't see it. And actually I also saw a much smaller similar larva a week or so ago (on a gardening glove not a leaf but maybe the glove had been near a leaf). Hawk moths are some of the best. Along with a whole heap of other moths.
arjay
wrote:
19 Dec 2024
And I just checked. There are still two of them out there. They have doubled in size since I took the photo and the red stripe is now much more pronounced.
WendyEM
wrote:
19 Dec 2024
Well done on the observations. Jim Tuttle did the raising obs for MonAusLep Vol.13. Some Hawk moth pupa are distinctive as they have a loop at head end which I presume holds their impressive tongue. I've checked book for some pupation info for Genera known to eat *Vitis vinifera - Acosmeryx, Gnathothlibus, Hippotion, Hyles, Theretra. Acosmeryx "Pupation occurs on the soil surface in a flimsy cocoon of leaf litter and soil bound by silk" p.49 final insar is smooth & stout, lacks eyespots and head and 'thorax' are small, head rounded. Shots of larvae online show this. One sp takes 2-3wks to pupate in warm season. Some genera pupate in a cell in the soil several cm underground.
arjay
wrote:
19 Dec 2024
We do have Hipotion scrofa here. That's the only one I know of. Doesn't mean there aren't others. Just that I haven't seen them. Thanks for the info on further development ... nice to know what to watch out for. They are amazing to watch. But then most wildlife is so that isn't saying anything new.
donhe
wrote:
20 Dec 2024
Moulds et al show a 5th instar larva of Gnathothlibus eras on plate26i that has only 2 eyespots, like this has, although that is a brown form. The larval pattern and colour seem quite variable, so I think this is within the range of the variablity of that species. But of course: the ultimate test is to rear it to an adult.
WendyEM
wrote:
20 Dec 2024
Yes, thanks Don, that is a good match. It has the single eye spot at posterior end too. It was the lack of diagonal lines on its side that tricked me. And it is a recorded vine eater.
ibaird
wrote:
20 Dec 2024
Not G. australiensis? OK, I expect G. eras is more likely given the southern location for the sighting.
Location information
- Maps Mongarlowe River
- Places Charleys Forest, NSW
Sighting information
- 2 Abundance
- arjay Recorded by
-
Collections
arjay Hawk moths (Sphingidae) Moths (Lepidoptera) Insects Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Gnathothlibus eras
Additional information
- Grapevine Associated plant
- 50mm or larger Animal size
- Alive / healthy Animal health
Species information
- Gnathothlibus eras Scientific name
- Aussie White-brow Hawk Moth Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- External link More information
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes