Hippotion eson

Description

Hippotion eson is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is very common in most habitats throughout the Ethiopian Region, including Madagascar and the Seychelles. It is a migratory species. The length of the forewings is 32–40 mm and the wingspan is 74–84 mm. The head and thorax are light brown, edged with white laterally. The abdomen is slightly paler, with numerous faint darker longitudinal lines on the dorsum and a broader, indistinct golden line on each side. The forewings are light brown with several darker almost straight marginal and diagonal lines meeting at the apex. There is a very small black stigma. The hindwings are red with an irregular black spot at the base and black at the costa. The tornus is fawn, the marginal band narrow, light brown and fading towards the tornus. The larvae are polyphagous, they feed a large variety of leaves including Zantedeschia aethiopica, Impatiens balsamina (Balsaminaceae), Vigna sp. (Fabaceae).