Hippotion balsaminae

Description

Hippotion balsaminae is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is common in most habitats throughout the Ethiopian Region, including Madagascar. The length of the forewings is 24–28 mm and the wingspan is 52–70 mm. The head and body are very pale sandy brown, with faint darker longitudinal lines. The forewings are of the same colour with numerous thin darker, regular oblique and submarginal lines meeting at the apex. The two anterior oblique lines darker and more prominent than the others. The hindwings are blackish with a very light sandy brown submarginal line. The larvae feed on the leaves of Jussieua repens.