Hippotion rosae

Description

Hippotion rosae is a moth of the family Sphingidae first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1882. It is known from dry areas from south-western Africa to Mozambique and northwards to eastern Africa. It is also present on Socotra. The length of the forewings is 40–43 mm for males and 41–45 mm for females and the wingspan is 74–99 mm. The head and body are grey. The sides of the thorax are white. The antennae are bright pink. The forewings are grey, speckled with blackish. There are faint traces of darker antemedial and postmedial lines. There is a prominent black stigma and some dark irrorations alternating with creamy ones at the hind margin. The hindwings are grey, with a yellowish tinge. The underside is uniform light grey with dark speckles. Females have broader and more rounded wings. The larvae feed on the leaves of Cissus species.