RHAGASTIS VELATA (Walker, 1866)

Female Rhagastis velata. Photo: © BMNH Male Rhagastis velata. Photo: © BMNH Fresh Rhagastis velata, Thailand. Photo: © Adam Cotton

TAXONOMY

Pergesa velata Walker, 1866, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus. 35: 1853. Type locality: [India, West Bengal,] Darjeeling [Darling].


ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION

Wingspan: 66--74mm.


Adult Rhagastis velata, Thailand. Photo: © Ian Kitching

ADULT BIOLOGY


FLIGHT-TIME

China: ix (Shaanxi).


EARLY STAGES

OVUM: Very pale yellowish-green (Bell & Scott, 1937).

LARVA: Full-fed 70mm.

PUPA: 50--55mm.

Larval hostplants. In India on Arisaema and Amorphophallus (Araceae) (Bell and Scott, 1937).


PARASITOIDS


LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

China: Shaanxi (Xunyang, 1380m).

Taiwan: Nantou Hsien (Huisun forest).


GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Nepal, northeastern India, Thailand, central and southern China, Taiwan.


Global distribution of Rhagastis velata. Map: © BMNH.

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION


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