Cat ID Assistance please

[atronox]

Spent this afternoon Googling and realised that this is a cat of the Oleander Hawkmoth (Deilephila nerii or Daphnis nerii).

Grateful if Mod could shift this thread to "Moth Photography" ?
Thank you, (embarassed)

Yup, its Daphnis nerii. Deilephila is the elephant hawkmoth (deilephila elpenor).

[Painted Jezebel]

I had thought that the cat was Daphnis nerii, but the absence of the blue eye-spots just behind the head made me wonder.

As this is a moth, perhaps this thread could be transferred to that forum, and then Roger may be able to advise the frequency of these 'blind' cats as compared the the blue-spotted ones.

[cho-cho-san]

I had thought that the cat was Daphnis nerii, but the absence of the blue eye-spots just behind the head made me wonder.

As this is a moth, perhaps this thread could be transferred to that forum, and then Roger may be able to advise the frequency of these 'blind' cats as compared the the blue-spotted ones.

Sorry about the missing blue eye-spots. Actually it got hidden in between the folds just behind the head.
Here is another shot of the same cat, but this time with the blue eye-spots.

[Painted Jezebel]

Ah! Thank you. So it is not 'blind'. Roger, kindly disregard my last query!

[Commander]

Thread moved to Moth Photography sub-forum.

These cats eat Oleander, Vinca (Periwinkle) and a number of other "toxic" plants. I believe Adenium is also a "toxic" plant too.

However, the cats and adult moths don't seem to be immune to predators because of this, unlike those of butterflies.

[cho-cho-san]

Thread moved to Moth Photography sub-forum.

These cats eat Oleander, Vinca (Periwinkle) and a number of other "toxic" plants. I believe Adenium is also a "toxic" plant too.

However, the cats and adult moths don't seem to be immune to predators because of this, unlike those of butterflies.

Thanks Commander for doing the needful.

Oh yes, the sap of the Adenium obesum is toxic. Got to handle them with caution especially when you are doing pruning.

[cho-cho-san]

Yup, its Daphnis nerii. Deilephila is the elephant hawkmoth (deilephila elpenor).

Thanks Aaron for your info

[hkmoths]

Yup, its Daphnis nerii. Deilephila is the elephant hawkmoth (deilephila elpenor).

Indeed the Elephant Hawkmoth is placed in Deilephila, as was nerii until quite recently.

One must remember that as yet higher taxonomy, i.e. understanding lineage, has been a rather haphazard process, and in reality still is, even with the advent of molecular techniques. Most analyses undertaken do not involve the complete range of species within a particular group, whether it be the genus, subtribe, tribe or even higher ranks, simply due to the numbers of species involved and their distributions being such that it becomes almost impossible to obtain sufficient material to undertake a complete analysis. The end result is that stability in Lepidopteran taxonomy has yet to be achieved, even for relatively well known groups like the Sphingidae.

cheers, Roger.

[cho-cho-san]

Thanks for the info Roger.

[atronox]

Indeed the Elephant Hawkmoth is placed in Deilephila, as was nerii until quite recently.

One must remember that as yet higher taxonomy, i.e. understanding lineage, has been a rather haphazard process, and in reality still is, even with the advent of molecular techniques. Most analyses undertaken do not involve the complete range of species within a particular group, whether it be the genus, subtribe, tribe or even higher ranks, simply due to the numbers of species involved and their distributions being such that it becomes almost impossible to obtain sufficient material to undertake a complete analysis. The end result is that stability in Lepidopteran taxonomy has yet to be achieved, even for relatively well known groups like the Sphingidae.

cheers, Roger.

Thx Roger. Even groups like macrolepidoptera and microlepidoptera are poorly defined.