Theretra suffusa Walker

Chaerocampa suffusa Walker, 1856, List Specimens lepid. Colln. Br. Mus., 8: 146.

Theretra suffusa Walker; Rothschild & Jordan, 1903: 778.

Diagnosis

See Theretra alecto Linnaeus; the dorsum of the hindwing is pink rather than black.

Geographical range

Japan, Oriental tropics to Sundaland.

Habitat preference

The species is infrequent, taken in similar open lowland habitats to T. alecto.

Biology

The mature larva is green (Bell & Scott, 1937; Dupont & Roepke, 1941) with a yellowish green dorsolateral line which runs through a complete line of abdominal ocellar markings as in T. alecto, The ocelli are partly green or brown, partly blue, circled with yellow or orange.

The horn is blue, short, thick, strongly downcurved.

Host-plants have only been noted from the genus Melastoma (Melastomataceae).