Theretra suffusa (Walker, 1856) - Suffused Hunter Moth

Taxonomic Information

List of Theretra Hübner, [1819] known from India.
Theretra alecto (Linnaeus, 1758), Jharkhand (Sambath, 2011), Karnataka (Melichar, 2012),
Madhya Pradesh (Chandraetal.,2013), Punjab (Pathiana et al., 2014), Uttarakhand (Sondhi and Sondhi 2016).
Theretra boisduvalii (Bugnion, 1839), Eastern Himalaya, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Uttarakhand (Pittaway and Kitching, 2013).
Theretra castanea (Moore, 1872), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Maharashtra (Gurule et al.,2013), Tamil Nadu (Iyer and kitching, 2019).
Theretra clotho (Drury, 1773), Karnataka (Ghoparde et al., 2013), Kerala (Mathew et al., 2018), Punjab (Pathiana et al., 2014).
Theretra gnoma (Fabricius, 1775), Karnataka (Ghoparde et al., 2013), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017).
Theretra griseomarginata (Hampson, 1898), Uttarakhand (Sondhi and Sondhi, 2016), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Karnataka (Ghoparde et al., 2013).
Theretra insignis (Butler, 1882), Karnataka (Sondhi et al., 2017).
Theretra lucasii (Walker, 1856), Assam (Arandhara et al., 2017), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Tamil Nadu (Iyer and Kitching, 2019).
Theretra lycetus (Cramer, 1775), Himalayan region (Singh et al.,2020), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Karnataka (Ghoparde et al., 2013), Maharashtra (Subhalakshmi et al., 2011) West Bengal (Nayak, 2020).
Theretra nessus (Drury, 1773), Assam (Arandhara et al., 2017), Jharkhand (Sambath, 2011), Karnataka, (Mishra et al 2016), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Punjab (Singh and Kaur, 2020), Tamil Nadu (Iyer and Kitching, 2019).
Theretra oldenlandiae (Fabricius, 1775), Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, (Subhalakshmi et al., 2011).
Theretra pallicosta (Walker, 1856), Karnataka (Melichar, 2012); Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2018).
Theretra shendurneensis Sondhi, Kitching, Basu & Kunte, 2017, Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017).
Theretra silhetensis (Walker, 1856), Assam (Arandhara et al., 2017), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Tamil Nadu (Iyer and Kitching, 2019), West Bengal (Biswas et al., 2016).
Theretra suffusa (Walker, 1856), Nepal, North East India (Leong and Rozario, 2009).
Theretra sumatrensis (Joicey & Kaye, 1917), Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu (Iyer and Kitching, 2019) South Western Ghats (Sondhi et al., 2017).
Theretra tibetiana Vaglia & Haxaire, 2010, North Eastern India (Irungbam, 2020).

Photo Gallery and Species Biology

Theretra alecto lacks the broad pale stripe along the centre of the thorax and abdomen.

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh11
Assam2
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir UT
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Ladakh UT
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Total121
Theretra suffusa (Walker, 1856) – Suffused Hunter Moth: Melastoma malabathricum (Melastomataceae), Solanum melongena (Solanaceae) (Robinson et al. 2010).
  1. OD Chaerocampa suffusa Walker, 1856. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum List Spec. Lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus. 8: 1-271. Pg. 146, #32.
  2. Holloway, J. D. 1987. The Moths of Borneo. Part 3. Superfamily Bombycoidea: families Lasiocampidae, Eupterotidae, Bombycidae, Brahmaeidae, Saturniidae, Sphingidae. Online version. [Accessed 31 August 2021]
  3. Pittaway, A.R. & I.J. Kitching. Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic (including Siberia, the Russian Far East, Mongolia, China, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula and Japan). http://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/t_suf.htm [Accessed 31 August 2021]
  4. https://sphingidae.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/2881 [Accessed 31 August 2021]

Page citation

Anonymous 2025. Theretra suffusa (Walker, 1856) – Suffused Hunter Moth. In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, R.P. Singh, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 3.9. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.mothsofindia.org/theretra-suffusa, accessed 2025/04/30.