Ambulyx substrigilis Westwood

Sphinx (Ambulyx) substrigilis Westwood, 1848, Cab. Orient. Ent., p. 61.

Oxyambulyx substrigilis Westwood; Rothschild & Jordan, 1903: 201.

Oxyambulyx brooksi Clark, 1923, Proc. New Engl. Zool. Club, 8: 52.

Oxyambulyx substrigilis cana Gehlen, 1940, Ent. Zeitschr., 54: 140.

Diagnosis

This species could be confused with pryeri and clavata but has a stronger subtornal marking and a slightly more variegated ground colour to the forewing; the submarginal line is usually more strongly curved over its anterior half.

The intensity of the hindwing banding is intermediate between that of pryeri and clavata. In the male genitalia the ventral process of the harpe is broad, rounded, compared with acute in pryeri and clavata.

Taxonomic Notes

Sundanian material is referable to ssp. brooksi Clark.

Geographical range

Indian subregion to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo.

Habitat preference

Harman (1981) recorded the species from lowland forest in Brunei, but the few specimens taken on G. Kinabalu and G. Mulu were from between 1000-2000m.

Biology

The larva of the S. Indian race was illustrated by Bell & Scott (1937). It is bright green above, greyish green below.

The oblique stripes are weak except that associated with the anal horn.

This stripe is white; there are white patches marking the position of the more anterior stripes subdorsally that tend to coalesce towards the anterior to form a subdorsal line on the thorax.

Recorded host-plants (Bell & Scott, 1937; Dupont & Roepke, 1941) are: Dipterocarpus (Dipterocarpaceae); Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae); Aglaia (Meliaceae).