Hippotion celerio (Silver-striped Hawk Moth)
We have found this moth at Claire Cottage on the Dorrigo Plateau.
Distribution: Western Australia, Northern Territory, QLD, NSW, VIC, SA & Tasmania.
Sighted at Claire Cottage between September & May.
We have found this moth at Claire Cottage on the Dorrigo Plateau.
Distribution: Western Australia, Northern Territory, QLD, NSW, VIC, SA & Tasmania.
Sighted at Claire Cottage between September & May.
Hippotion celerio (Silver-striped Hawk Moth)
We have found this moth at Claire Cottage on the Dorrigo Plateau.
Distribution: Western Australia, Northern Territory, QLD, NSW, VIC, SA & Tasmania.
Moth Sightings:
Time of Moth Sightings @ Claire Cottage: Oct 2022-23.30,
Larva Sightings:
Larval food plants:
Breeding season on the Dorrigo Plateau: Thought to be September to April
Breeding season elsewhere - not confirmed but thought to be all year in the Tropics and limited to the warmer months in the cooler States.
Flight habit: Nocturnal - Active at night.
Adult Moth: Size at rest - tip of thorax to tip of forewing: 40mm - tip of forewing to tip other forewing 40mm
Mature larva: length - ??mm. Colour forms in the final instar are Green, Brown, Red or Dark Grey.
Interesting information: Max Moulds responding to a 'Facebook' question regarding Hippotion celerio making an unusual sound -
"The sound heard in Hippotion celerio almost certainly was produced by the male genitalia that have friction scales on the outer side of the valvae used in stridulation. In the subtribe Choerocampina which includes Hippotion these friction scales are quite large and sound is produced by rubbing the valvae against the abdomen. The purpose is not entirely understood but one purpose seems to be to jam the 'radar' of bats but it may be used during mating. We briefly discuss this topic in our Australian Hawk Moth book published early in 2020".
We have found this moth at Claire Cottage on the Dorrigo Plateau.
Distribution: Western Australia, Northern Territory, QLD, NSW, VIC, SA & Tasmania.
Moth Sightings:
- DORRIGO PLATEAU:
- Sept 2002, 2013, 2017; 2020; 2021;
- Oct 2002, 2005, 2007, 2020 (2); 2022,
- Nov 2023(3),
- Jan 2006, 2023;
- Feb 2022 (2), 2024(2),
- Apr 2020 (9)-last sightings 28/04/20;
- May 2020 (13th),
- ELSEWHERE: Whyanbeel, FNQ (May 2017),
Time of Moth Sightings @ Claire Cottage: Oct 2022-23.30,
Larva Sightings:
- DORRIGO PLATEAU: Nov 2005 & 2007 Claire Cottage, Mar 2022
- ELSEWHERE: Artarmon, Sydney, 1960's, Forestville, Sydney 1980's & 1990's.
Larval food plants:
- DORRIGO PLATEAU: ARACEAE: Alocasia brisbanensis,
- BALSAMINAEAE: Impatiens balsamina*, Impatiens oliveri*, Impatiens wallerana*
- DILLENIACEAE: Hibbertia scandens
- ONAGRACEAE; Fuchsia Sp.
- VITACEAE: Cayratia clematidea, Parthenocissus quinquefolia*, Parthenocissus tricuspidata*, Vitis vinifera*
- ELSEWHERE: As for Dorrigo Plateau plus APOCYNACEAE: Plumeria rubra (Frangipani)
- ARACEAE: Colocasia esculenta*, Typhonium brownii, Zantedeschia aethiopica*,
- BIGNONIACEAE: Podranea brycei*, Podranea ricasoliana*,
- CONVOLVULACEAE: Ipomoea batatas*, Ipomoea indica*
- NYCTAGINACEAE: Boerhavia chinensis, Boerhavia diffusa
- POLYGONACEAE: Emex australis*, Emex spinosa*, Rheum rhababarum* (Rhubarb), Rumex Sp. (Dock)
- RUBIACEAE: Pentas lanceolata*,
- VITACEAE: Clematicissus angustissima
Breeding season on the Dorrigo Plateau: Thought to be September to April
Breeding season elsewhere - not confirmed but thought to be all year in the Tropics and limited to the warmer months in the cooler States.
Flight habit: Nocturnal - Active at night.
Adult Moth: Size at rest - tip of thorax to tip of forewing: 40mm - tip of forewing to tip other forewing 40mm
Mature larva: length - ??mm. Colour forms in the final instar are Green, Brown, Red or Dark Grey.
Interesting information: Max Moulds responding to a 'Facebook' question regarding Hippotion celerio making an unusual sound -
"The sound heard in Hippotion celerio almost certainly was produced by the male genitalia that have friction scales on the outer side of the valvae used in stridulation. In the subtribe Choerocampina which includes Hippotion these friction scales are quite large and sound is produced by rubbing the valvae against the abdomen. The purpose is not entirely understood but one purpose seems to be to jam the 'radar' of bats but it may be used during mating. We briefly discuss this topic in our Australian Hawk Moth book published early in 2020".