Theretra clotho clotho (Drury, 1773)

Irungbam, Jatishwor Singh & Fric, Zdeněk Faltýnek, 2021, Checklist of the family Sphingidae Latreille, 1802 (Lepidoptera: Bombycoidea) from Shirui Hills, Manipur, India, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 121 (1), pp. 173-194 : 185

25. Theretra clotho clotho (Drury, 1773) - Common Hunter Hawkmoth ( Figure 3 : G; Figure 5 : A)

1773. Sphinx clotho Drury, Illust. nat. Hist. exot. Insects, 2: index (91).

Material examined: INDIA, Manipur, Ukhrul District, Shirui Hills, Site 1 (25.1264ºN 94.4357ºE), 1930 m asl ,

23.vii.2019 – 4♂, IJ1421, IJ1422, IJ1423, IJ1424; Site 3 (25.1171ºN 94.4456ºE), 2190 m asl, 24.vii.2019 – 4♂, IJ1164, IJ1165, IJ1167, IJ1168; Site 4 (25.1112ºN

94.4534ºE), 2425 m asl, 25.vii.2019 – 1♂, IJ1602, coll. J.S. Irungbam.

Diagnosis: Wingspan ♂, 86 - 96 mm. forewing length 42 - 46 mm. Male genitalia ( Figure 5 : A): Uncus short and massive. The lateral sétigeres lobes are broad, not very raised and strongly ciliate, but the cilia are short. The apex of the uncus is slightly curved. The harps are characteristic long and spatulate, their surface is cracked. The outer edge is irregularly domed, sometimes rounded and others almost triangular. The internal edge wears a double sclerotic and dentate sheet. Each leaflet is well developed but remains narrow throughout its length. They are clearly toothed. The teeth are small and evenly spaced but vary widely in size and shape.

Distribution: India: Andaman Island ( Chandra and Kumar, 1992); Arunachal Pradesh ( Athreya, 2013); Assam ( Arandhara et al., 2017); Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh ( Shubhalaxmi et al., 2011); Ladakh ( Sanyal et al., 2018), Jharkhand ( Sambath, 2014, Singh et al., 2017a), Karnataka (Melichar et al., 2018), Kerala ( Sondhi et al., 2018), Meghalaya ( Mandal and Ghosh, 1999), Odisha ( Mandal and Maulik 1991), Punjab ( Pathania et al., 2014), Uttarakhand ( Smetacek, 1994, 2008); West Bengal ( Shah et al., 2018). Elsewhere: Northern Pakistan ( Rafi et al., 2014); Nepal ( Kishida, 1998); Bhutan ( Irungbam and Irungbam, 2019); Laos ( Kishida and Yano, 2020); Hong Kong ( Kendrick and Young, 2014); Taiwan ( Fu et al., 2013); Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, Japan, Indonesia, Sundaland ( Pittaway and Kitching, 2020); the Philippines ( Hogenes, 1998).

Larval hostplants: Unknown in India.

Remarks: Shubhalaxmi et al. (2011) have mentioned the presence of the species in Manipur. The present record from Shirui Hills, confirms its presence in Manipur.

Figures

Figure 3. Image of adult Sphingidae: A. Acosmeryx naga naga (Moore, (1858)); B. A. pseudonaga Butler, 1881; C. Deilephila elpenor macromera (Butler, 1875); D. Hippotion celerio (Linnaeus, 1758); E. H. rosetta (Swinhoe, 1892); F. Theretra alecto (Linnaeus, 1758); G. T. clotho clotho (Drury, 1773); H. T. tibetiana Vaglia and Haxaire, 2010; I. T. lucasii (Walker, 1856); J. T. nessus nessus (Drury, 1773); K. T. oldenlandiae oldenlandiae (Fabricius, 1775); L. T. pallicosta (Walker, 1856); M. Cechetra lineosa (Walker, 1856); N. C. minor (Butler, 1875); O. Rhagastis albomarginatus albomarginatus (Rothschild, 1894); P. R. castor aurifera (Butler, 1875); Q. R. confusa Rothschild and Jordan, 1903; R. R. olivacea (Moore, 1857).

Figure 5. Male genitalia of adult Sphingidae. A. Theretra clotho clotho (Drury, 1773): (i) Genital capsule, (ii) Harpe, (iii) Aedaegus. B. T. tibetiana Vaglia and Haxaire, 2010: (i) Genital capsule, (ii) Harpe, (iii) Aedaegus. C. Cechetra lineosa (Walker, 1856): (i) Genital capsule, (ii) Harpe, (iii) Aedaegus, (iv) Phallus armature. D. C. minor (Butler, 1875): (i) Genital capsule, (ii) Harpe, (iii) Aedaegus, (iv) Phallus armature.