RHAGASTIS CASTOR FORMOSANA Clark, 1925 -- Common mottled hawkmoth

Female Rhagastis castor formosana. Photo: © NHMUK Male Rhagastis castor formosana. Photo: © NHMUK

TAXONOMY

Rhagastis aurifera formosana Clark, 1925, Proc. New Engl. zool. Club 9: 37. Type locality: Central Formosa [Taiwan, Nantou Hsien], Horisha [Puli].

Synonym. Rhagastis aurifera formosana Clark, 1925.


ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION

Wingspan: 53--68mm. Identical to Rhagastis castor castor, but smaller.


Adult Rhagastis castor formosana, Taiwan. Photo: © Felix Lin. Adult Rhagastis castor formosana, Shanmei (800m), Chiayi Hsien, Taiwan. Photo: © Shipher Wu.

ADULT BIOLOGY


FLIGHT-TIME

Taiwan: iii-xi (Hualien Hsien); iii-v (Kaohsiung Hsien); viii (Yilan Hsien).


EARLY STAGES

OVUM:

LARVA:


Final instar larva of Rhagastis castor formosana. Photo: © Hsu TienChuen

PUPA:

Larval hostplants. Saurauia tristyla, Hydrangea chinensis and Tetrastigma formosanum.


PARASITOIDS

Unknown.


LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

Taiwan: Hualien Hsien (Taroko National Park); Nantou Hsien (Puli); Yilan Hsien (Taipingshan); Kaohsiung Hsien (Shanping, 640m; nr. Tuona, 12km SE of Shanping, 750m); Taipei Hsien (Fushan); Chiayi Hsien (Shanmei, 800m).


GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Endemic to Taiwan.


Global distribution of Rhagastis castor formosana. Map: © NHMUK.

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION


Return to Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic species list
© A. R. Pittaway & I. J. Kitching (Natural History Museum, London)