Macroglossa pyrrhosticta Butler, 1875, Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1875: 242. Type locality: China, Shanghai.
Synonym. Macroglossum fukienensis Chu & Wang, 1980, Acta zootaxon. sin. 5: 420. Type locality: China, Fujian, Jianyang.
Wingspan: 42--56mm.
A widespread species found in many types of open habitats, even mountain meadows and logged woodland. Some adults will come to light, but most frequent flowers, particularly Duranta erecta.
China: vi (Hubei); vi-vii (Sichuan; Hainan); vii (Shanghai; Jiangxi; Hunan; Fujian); vii-x (Zhejiang); viii (Guangdong; Yunnan); ix (Sichuan); ix-xi (Hong Kong). Taiwan: iv-v (Kaohsiung Hsien); v (Nantou Hsien); vi (Taipei); vii (Tainan Hsien; Pingtung Hsien); xi (Pingtung Hsien). Japan: ii-x (Ryukyu Archipelago); 18.v-14.vi (Hahajima); viii-x (Honshu; Hahajima; Kyushu). Russia: 3-16.viii (Primorskiy Kray).
Park et al. (1999) give late June until late October as the flight period in Korea.
OVUM: Pale transluscent white/grey when freshly laid, turning greenish-yellow with age. Slightly oval, shiny and smooth. Laid singly on the underside of younger leaves.
LARVA: Full-fed 50mm.; breadth 9.5 mm.; horn 7 mm. According to Bell & Scott (1937), in the final instar horn slightly curved, of medium length, tapering evenly to a sharp point, minutely tuberculate. Surface dull and smooth. A rather thick-set, stout larva.
First and second instar larvae are slate grey with a dark horn, and very shiny. With growth the whole body becomes greener, patterned and tuberculate. In the final instar, head dark green. Body with a pale subdorsal and a pale dorso-lateral stripe from head to horn. Segments 2 to 4 more apple-green, but the rest of the body pale bluish-green (even paler dorsally). Covered with encicling bands of widely spaced white spots, giving the body a speckled appearance. The dorso-lateral stripe is yellow on segments 2 to 4, white on the remaining segments, and edged above with green. Above this stripe there are a number of short narrow stripes dorsally, which disappear on each side of the dorsal line, thus leaving a subdorsal stripe of the body-colour. There are seven narrow, greenish oblique lateral stripes. The black-tubercled horn is purplish (bluish dorsally) with the terminal third yellowish-orange. Legs reddish, basal segment with a shiny black band. Spiracles white, with a broad red band across the middle.
Although smaller larvae prefer resting under leaves, larger larvae are to be found on the twining stems of the hostplant, often deep among the foliage. Creepers growing in and on dense shaded shrubs, or over fences under overhanging trees, are preferred during the hot summer months. The larval presence is generally given away by denuded leading shoots, as young leaves are preferred.
PUPA: 40mm.; breadth 11mm. Colour transluscent greyish-yellow, with a green tinge on head, thorax and wing-case, sparsely dotted with brown. Thorax with a narrow black dorsal stripe, continued as a greyish stripe (heart line) on abdomen. Tongue, inner margin of wing and spiracles black; cremaster with basal half brown above, rest black. Tongue-case beyond head prominent, laterally compressed, cariniform, projecting 3.5mm. frontad and ventad; the rest lying flush between the wing-cases. Antenna slightly shorter than fore leg, reaching to middle of wing-case. Surface of head, thorax and wing-case shiny and smooth; abdomen shiny and pitted dorsally and ventrally. Hind bevels of segments 8 to 10 smooth, front bevels of 9 to 11 with many transversely elongate tubercles. Cremaster slightly triangular, dorso-ventrally flattened, tip bifid, the arms widely separated and very fine; venter hollow, with thick lateral extensor ridges.
Formed in a weak sliken cocoon among litter on the ground.
Larval hostplants. Paederia scandens and Psychotria rubra (Rubiaceae) in Hong Kong, Paederia foetida in India (Bell & Scott, 1937), and on Paederia tomentosa and P. scandens in mainland China.
(Larger larvae will transfer to Pentas lanceolata in captivity.)
China: Beijing (Botanical Garden); Shanxi (Taiyuan); Shanghai (Jiading, 1000'); Zhejiang (Tianmu Shan; Hangzhou); Hubei (Changyang); Sichuan (Baoxing; Emei Shan, 3620'; Kangding; Chengdu; Qionglai Shan, Jiaxing; Xiaolou); Chongqing (Fengjie); Yunnan (Kunming; Yanmen; Menglun; Ganlanba); south Xizang/Tibet (Mutu, Namjagbarwa region, 850m (Wang, 1988); Zhangmu, 2200m; Milin, 2900m); Hunan (Yangming Shan, nr. Xintian); Jiangxi (Jiujiang; Tiancun, nr. Xingguo); Fujian (Jianyang); Guangdong (Fuzhou); Hong Kong; Hainan (??Dwa Bi, 230m; ??Five Finger Mts).
Taiwan: Tainan Hsien (Kuantzuling); Chiai Hsien (Shuicheliao); Taipei; Taipei Hsien (Fushan); Nantou Hsien (Puli); Kaohsiung Hsien (Shanping, 640m); Pingtung Hsien (Kenting; Sheting).
North Korea: South Hamgyong Prov. (Wonsan).
South Korea: Seoul (Cheongyang-ri); Kyonggi Prov. (Gwangleung; Suwon); North Cholla Prov. (Jiri-san; Namwon); South Cholla Prov. (Baekyang Temple; Mudeung-san; Wolchul-san; Jin-do; Geomum-do; Duryun-san; Yeosu); North Kyongsang Prov. (Ulleung-do); South Kyongsang Prov. (Pusan Hyundai; Dongrae; Geoje-do; Namhae-do; Goseong; Sancheong; Ulsan; Jinju; Hadong); Cheju Prov. (Cheju-do; Chuja-do; Halla-san; Biyang-do; Haean-dong; Ara-dong; Seoguipo; Sungpanak; Youngsil; Sanbang-san; Gwanglyoung; Sinsan; Soheung; Cheonjiyun; Gyolae-ri).
Japan: Hokkaido; Hahajima (Okimura; Komoriyama); Honshu (Chigasaki; Tokyo; Taira; Fujisawa; Nagano; Iruma; Yoshino; Yokohama; Kyoto); Shikoku (Onosan); Kyushu (Kagoshima; Yuwan); Tsushima; Tanegashima; Chichi-jima (Oomura); Hachijojima (Hachijo-Fuji); Ryukyu Archipelago (Yakushima; Okinawa, Nago; Amamioshima; Ishigakishima).
Russia: Primorskiy Kray (Primorskiy); Kurile Islands.
Sri Lanka, eastern India, Nepal, Thailand, central and eastern China, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, the southern Russian Far East, Taiwan, Philippines (Luzon) and Indonesia.
Also a recent colonist of Hawaii, the first specimen having been recorded in 1976 from Oahu (United States Department of Agriculture, 1976).
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