RHODAMBULYX HAINANENSIS Brechlin, 2001

Female Rhodambulyx hainanensis, Wuzhi Shan, Hainan, China. ALLOTYPE. Photo: © Ronald Brechlin. Male Rhodambulyx hainanensis, Wuzhi Shan, Hainan, China. HOLOTYPE. Photo: © Ronald Brechlin.

TAXONOMY

Rhodambulyx hainanensis Brechlin, 2001, Nachr. entomol. Ver. Apollo, N.F. 22(3): 145. Type locality: China, Hainan Island, Wuzhi Shan, 1500m, 18°53'N 109°43'E.

Note. Very similar to Rhodambulyx haxairei Melichar, Řezáč & Horecký, 2014, from the central highlands of southern Vietnam, which ranges from Ba Na near Da Nang south to Lam Dong.

Note. The genus was originally established for a single species, Rhodambulyx davidi Mell, 1939, described from Fujian, China, and which has since also been found in Guizhou, Hunan, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Guangdong. Subsequently, four more species have been described: Rhodambulyx schnitzleri Cadiou, 1990 from Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai, Thailand (also found in western Yunnan (Chen & Ou, 2008) and northern Laos); Rhodambulyx hainanensis Brechlin, 2001 from the Wuzhi Shan, Hainan (currently endemic to the mountains of Hainan Island); Rhodambulyx haxairei Melichar, Řezáč & Horecký, 2014 from the Ba Na Hills near Da Nang south to Lam Dong, Vietnam; and Rhodambulyx kitchingi Brechlin, 2015 (from the mountains of central Vietnam). In addition, Eitschberger & Nguyen (2017) described Rhodambulyx namvui from the border hills of northern Vietnam, but this was later synonymized with Rhodambulyx kitchingi by Eitschberger (2018) without stating any reasons for so doing (Xu, Melichar, He, Zhang, Zhang, Feng & Hu, 2022).


ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION


ADULT BIOLOGY

This species flies at altitude (1500m) during early spring in the isolated subtropical mountains of Hainan.


FLIGHT-TIME

China: 22.ii-8.iv (Hainan, Wuzhi Shan).


EARLY STAGES

OVUM: Unknown.

LARVA: Unknown.

PUPA: Unknown.

Larval hostplants. Unknown.


PARASITOIDS

Unknown.


LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

China: Hainan (Wuzhi Shan, 1500m).


GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Endemic to the mountains of Hainan Island, China.


Global distribution of Rhodambulyx hainanensis. Map: © Tony Pittaway.

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION

Unknown.



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