Sphinx erotus Cramer, 1777, De uitlandsche Kapellen voorkomende in de drie waerelddeelen Asia, Africa en America 2: 12, pl. 104, fig. B. Type locality: No type locality given.
Synonym. Chromis erotus Cramer, 1777.
Synonym. Sphinx erotus Cramer, 1777.
Synonym. Choercampa andamanensis Kirby, 1877.
Note. Transferred to Gnathothlibus by d'Abrera, 1987, Sphingidae Mundi: 124.
Note. Gnathothlibus erotus eras (Boisduval, 1832) was synonymized with Chaerocampa erotus as a variety by Boisduval, 1875, In: Boisduval & Guenée, Hist. nat. Insectes (Spec. gén. Lépid. Hétérocères), 1: 250. Reinstated as a subspecies by Rothschild & Jordan, 1903, Novit. zool., 9 (suppl.): 504. Implicitly reinstated as a species by Lane & Lane, 2006, Aust. Ent., 33: 149.
Wingspan: 90mm. A thick-set, robust species. Forewing upperside brown (or greyish-brown), with slightly darker brown antemedial and postmedial bands; discal spot small, white. Hindwing upperside yellow-orange, with a narrow dark brown marginal band. Body brown. A white stripe extends from over each eye along the thorax to over the wingbase. Legs white; forecoxal androconial organ strongly developed; foretarsus and foretibia narrow, lacking enlarged scaling along the outer edges; hindbasitarsus longer than tibia or second and third tarsomeres together, as long as tarsomeres 2-5.
Male genitalia: Uncus strongly compressed laterally, hooked, dilated before apex. Gnathos much shorter than uncus. Harpe pointed, strongly upcurved. Phallus with a rounded process bearing a triangular projection pointing proximad on the left side and short process with a few blunt teeth on the right.
Unknown.
China: iv.2006 (Hunan). Taiwan: 17.viii.2022 (Orchid/Lanyu Island). Also found during February, June and July on Orchid Island.
OVUM: Unrecorded.
LARVA: The larva is brown or green with green- or blue-ringed white dorso-lateral ocellar markings on (usually) all segments from T3 to A7. These eye-spots are set in a pale yellow-white dorso-lateral line on the abdominal segments. However, there are regional differences in the number of eye-spots present; those on the abdominal segments may be reduced in number or missing. There are two parallel, diffuse white bands running dorsally the length of the abdominal segments. The horn is long and straight in the early instars, but strongly downcurved, blunt and yellow/orange in the later ones. Anal flap and posterior half of the anal claspers chocolate-brown. True legs and head green in the green form, pink in the brown form.
PUPA: Unrecorded.
Larval hostplants. Across its range larvae have been recorded on a wide range of plants, including Ipomoea batatas, Vitis vinifera, Dillenia alata, Escallonia polifolia [syn. Escallonia macrantha], Melastoma malabathricum subsp. malabathricum [syn. Melastoma affine], Pentas lanceolata, Cayratia acris, Causonis clematidea [syn. Cayratia clematidea], Causonis trifolia [syn. Cayratia trifolia], Leea indica, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Hibbertia scandens, Cissus and Morinda.
Unknown.
China: Hunan/Guangdong (Mt. Shikengkong, Nanling Mountains). Taiwan: Orchid/Lanyu Island; Green Island.
From Sri Lanka, eastern India (Andaman Islands) eastwards to Java and Borneo, and north to southeast mainland China (Hunan), the Philippines, Guam, and some of the smaller offshore islands of Taiwan.
The presence of this species in southern China appears to be the result of adventive individuals; it is unlikely to be resident. However, it is a recent colonist of Guam and Orchid Island, Taiwan.
[The very similar Gnathothlibus eras (Boisduval, 1832) replaces Gnathothlibus erotus in the eastern Sunda Islands (from Java eastwards), Sulawesi, the Moluccas, the southern Philippines, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Micronesia and eastern Australia.]
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