Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic

DOLBINA FORMOSANA Matsumura, 1927 -- Formosan grizzled hawkmoth

TAXONOMY

Dolbina formosana Matsumura, 1927, J. Coll. Agric. Hokkaido Imp. Univ. 19(1): 1-91. Type locality: [Taiwan, Nantou Hsien, Meiyuan,] Baibara.

Note. This species has until recently been treated as a local population of Dolbina inexacta (Walker, 1856).

ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION

Wingspan: 55--86mm.

Male Dolbina formosana, Galahe, Taoyuan Hsien, Taiwan. Photo: © Shipher Wu.

ADULT BIOLOGY

Unknown.

FLIGHT-TIME

Taiwan: iv-v (Kaohsiung Hsien); vi (Hualien Hsien); vii (Pingtung Hsien); viii (Nantou Hsien); 3-5.xii (Hualien Hsien).

EARLY STAGES

OVUM: Unrecorded.

LARVA: Very similar to those of Dolbina inexacta (Walker, 1856).

Final instar larva of Dolbina formosana, Taiwan. Photo: © Li Xue.

PUPA: Unrecorded.

Larval hostplants. Recorded from Chionanthus retusus, Fraxinus griffithii, Fraxinus insularis, Ligustrum liukiuense and Osmanthus fragrans.

PARASITOIDS

Unknown

LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

Taiwan: Hualien Hsien (Taroko National Park, 2000m); Nantou Hsien (Puli; Lianhuachih; Meiyuan, 500m); Pingtung Hsien (Kenting); Kaohsiung Hsien (Shanping, 640m); Taipei Hsien (Fushan); Taoyuan Hsien (Galahe).

[It should be noted that Meiyuan was formally known as Hsin-sheng [Hsinseng], and before that as 'Baibara', the type locality of many species of insect collected in Taiwan.]

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Endemic to Taiwan.

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION

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