Rhagastis confusa Rothschild & Jordan, 1903, Novit. zool. 9 (suppl.): 793 (key), 795. Type locality: [India, Meghalaya,] Khasia Hills [Khasi Hills].
Wingspan: 84--90mm.
China: iv (Guizhou); v (Yunnan).
OVUM:
LARVA: Full-fed 90mm, width 11mm, horn 7 mm. According to Bell & Scott (1937), in the final instar very similar to that of R. castor aurifera; horn tapering evenly to a point, sides not flattened. Surface as in R. castor aurifera.
In colour, head and segments 2 to 5 green with a yellowish tinge on dorsum, rest of body very pale bluish, nearly white. A narrow green dorsal stripe runs from 2 to base of horn. A broader white dorso-lateral stripe is also present from 3 to base of horn, broken by the eye-spot on 5, and on 6 to 10 broken before the hind margin of each segment. This is curved convexedly dorsad and edged above with green, from 11 running straight across 12 to base of horn. Eye-spot on 5 longitudinally elongate-oval, pupil elongate-oval, deep blue in front, sap-green behind, the green part bearing two or three large white dots placed longitudinally; the pupil edged broadly above, less broadly elsewhere, with white, the whole edged narrowly with sap-green; front edge of eye-spot encroaching on to 4. There are broad, pale blue oblique lateral stripes on 6 to 10, these running into the dorso-lateral stripe above. Horn purple; legs pink. Spiracles whitish with a brown patch, on each side of the central slit, and a narrow dark green rim (Bell & Scott, 1937).
PUPA: 50mm, width 10mm, and very similar to R. castor aurifera. Colour of head, thorax and wing-case dark brown speckled and streaked with black, especially on dorsum; abdomen pale brown dorsally and ventrally, sides black with large, irregular, white patches round the spiracles; wing-case separated from abdomen by a conspicuous white line from base to near tip; bevels of free abdominal segments pink (Bell & Scott, 1937).
Tongue-case projecting considerably in front of head, semi-circular in side-view; head with frons sloping steeply downwards, and between it and upper edge of base of tongue-case there is a sharp transverse dorsal ridge. From the lower edge of the tongue-case the ventral surface is concave to the middle of wing-case, then convex to the tip of wing-case, the curves being more strongly developed than in others of the genus. Surface dull, tongue-sheath coarsely rugose, veins of wings and legs prominent and set with tubercles; rest of body smooth. Spiracles white with a broad black band across the middle. Cremaster triangular, upper surface rugose underside deeply hollowed, ending in two cylindrical shafts, each of which branches into two spines; two or three double-pointed spines on lateral edge of cremaster near tip (Bell & Scott, 1937).
The pupa when handled moves the abdominal segments freely.
Larval hostplants. Vitis in India (Bell & Scott, 1937).
China: Sichuan (Kangding; Baoxing; Dadu He); Yunnan (Changning Co., Songzhishanding, 2800m); Guizhou (Jiucai Ling).
Northern India, Nepal, northern Thailand, southwestern China and northern Vietnam (Sa Pa, Lao Cai Province).
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