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. 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).

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.


Global distribution of Dolbina formosana. Map: © NHMUK.

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION


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