AMPELOPHAGA RUBIGINOSA MYOSOTIS Kitching & Cadiou, 2000 -- Common vine hawkmoth

Female Ampelophaga rubiginosa myosotis. Photo: © NHMUK Male Ampelophaga rubiginosa myosotis. Photo: © NHMUK

TAXONOMY

Ampelophaga rubiginosa myosotis Kitching & Cadiou, 2000, Hawkmoths of the world: 38, 205. Type locality: Formosa [Taiwan, Taipei Hsien,] Wulai.


ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION

Wingspan: 82--86mm. Similar to Ampelophaga rubiginosa rubiginosa but forewing pattern more uniform with a slight violet flush; the postmedian band never reaches the inner margin and the submarginal dentate line is only barely visible. Head, thorax and abdomen with a continuous, narrow white dorsal line extending only as far as abdominal tergite 2 (in Ampelophaga rubiginosa rubiginosa, this line reaches at least as far as abdominal tergite 7).


Resting Ampelophaga rubiginosa myosotis, Fushan Botanical Garden (700m), Yilan Hsien, Taiwan. Photo: © Shipher Wu. Resting Ampelophaga rubiginosa myosotis, Taiwan. Photo: © Felix Lin.

ADULT BIOLOGY


FLIGHT-TIME

Taiwan: iii-iv (Kaohsiung Hsien); vi (Taipei); 13.vi (Pingtung Hsien); viii (Nantou Hsien); ix (Taipei Hsien).


EARLY STAGES

OVUM: Unrecorded.

LARVA:

Final instar larva of Ampelophaga rubiginosa myosotis, Taiwan. Photo: © Wu ShiWei

PUPA: Unrecorded.

Larval hostplants. On Taiwan, recorded from Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, Parthenocissus tricuspidata and Saurauia tristyla.


PARASITOIDS

Unknown.


LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

Taiwan: Hualien Hsien (Taroko National Park); Taipei (Yangmingshan); Taipei Hsien (Wulai; Fushan); Nantou Hsien (Puli); Kaohsiung Hsien (Shanping, 640m); Yilan Hsien (Fushan Botanical Garden, 700m); Pingtung Hsien (Kasuga township, 1226m).


GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Endemic to Taiwan.


Global distribution of Ampelophaga rubiginosa myosotis. Map: © NHMUK.

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION


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