Nephele accentifera

Description

Nephele accentifera, the accented hawk, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Palisot de Beauvois in 1821. It is common in most habitats throughout the Ethiopian Region, excluding Madagascar and the Cape Peninsula. The length of the forewings is 35–42 mm and the wingspan is 79–88 mm. The abdomen is heavily marked with black. The forewings are broad, with an evenly curved margin, boldly but irregularly marked with dark brown, grey and ochreous. The submarginal areas are dark brown with diffuse ochreous internervular spots at the termen. There is a very dark wedge shaped area with the apex at the inner margin, near the base. There is also a large ochreous apical area at the costa and a similar but smaller spot between the costa and stigma. The stigma consists of three silvery white commas converging rather like the spokes of a wheel. The hindwings are dark olive brown with a blackish margin. The larvae feed on the leaves of Ficus sur and Ficus natalensis.