Theretra clotho (Drury, 1773) - Common Hunter Hawkmoth

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

The postmedial line that runs from the apex on the forewing is very distinct in this species. In both Theretra boisduvali and Theretra sumatrensis this line is broken and indistinct.
The abdomen also lacks the medial line present in T. sumatrensis and the paired series of blacks dots of T. boisduvali.

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh11
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka1
Kerala21
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra121
Manipur1
Meghalaya61
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga1
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu1
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand1
West Bengal1
Total117152221

Theretra clotho (Drury, 1773) – Common Hunter Hawkmoth: Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Araceae), Dillenia indica, Dillenia pentagyna (Dilleniaceae), Hibiscus mutabilis (Malvaceae) (Robinson et al. 2010).

  1. Holloway, J. D. 1987. The Moths of Borneo. Part 3. Superfamily Bombycoidea: families Lasiocampidae, Eupterotidae, Bombycidae, Brahmaeidae, Saturniidae, Sphingidae. http://www.mothsofborneo.com/part-3/sphingidae/sphingidae_30_4.php [accessed 3 Oct 2015]
  2. Kitching, I. Sphingidae Taxonomic Inventory. http://sphingidae.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/2805 [accessed 3 Oct 2015]
  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_clo.htm [accessed 3 Oct 2015]

Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Theretra clotho (Drury, 1773) – Common Hunter Hawkmoth. In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, R.P. Singh, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 3.73. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.mothsofindia.org/theretra-clotho, accessed 2024/04/19.