Gnathothlibus erotus

Gnathothlibus erotus (Cramer, 1777)
(erroneously: Chaerocampa eras)
MACROGLOSSINAE, SPHINGIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

(updated 28 March 2008)

(Photo: courtesy of Susan Foyle, Sutherland)

The Caterpillar of this species can be brown or green with black claspers, and a red line along each side interrupted by a series of eyespots of varying sizes: large at each end tapering to smaller in the middle. It also has on the tail a brown curved horn ending in a black point which is strongly curved backwards nearly into a semicircle.

(Photo: courtesy of David and Tom Sleep, Queensland)

It feeds on a wide variety of plants, including the crops :

Sweet Potato ( Ipomoea batatas, CONVOLVULACEAE ),

Cultivated Grapes ( Vitis vinifera, VITACEAE ),

as well as :

Red Beech ( Dillenia alata, DILLENIACEAE ),

Redclaws ( Escallonia macrantha, GROSSULARIACEAE ),

Bandicoot Berry ( Leea indica, LEEACEAE ),

Australian Native Lasiandra ( Melastoma affine, MELASTOMATACEAE ),

Star Cluster ( Pentas lanceolata, RUBIACEAE ), and

Hairy Water Vine ( Cayratia acris, VITACEAE ).

pupa
(Photo: courtesy of David and Tom Sleep, Queensland)

The caterpillar pupates in the soil. The pupa is brown with a series of black spots along each side of the abdomen.

(Photo: courtesy of David and Tom Sleep, Queensland)

The adults have brown fore wings with a faint pattern of light and dark markings, and bright yellow hind wings with dark margins. The moths have a wingspan of about 7 cms.