Theretra sumatrensis (Joicey & Kaye, 1917) - Southern Spotted 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

Theretra sumatrensis is known to occur from SW China to central Myanmar, Indo-China, Peninsular Malaysia, Java, Sumatra, the Western Lesser Sundas, and Borneo. It was previously not reported from India, so the two images included here (MOI media codes bh543 and bk466) represent first records from Arunchal Pradesh.
 

Theretra boisduvali and Theretra clotho are two species similar to this species.The abdomen in this species has a faint dark line down the middle, T. clotho is unmarked, T. boisduvali has no line down the middle, but has a series of black spots either side of the middle. Forewing postmedial line that runs from the apex is distinct in T. clotho, broken in T. boisduvali and this species.

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh211
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Total211
  1. Kitching, I. Sphingidae Taxonomic Inventory. http://sphingidae.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/5236 [accessed 3 Oct 2015]

Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Theretra sumatrensis (Joicey & Kaye, 1917) – Southern Spotted Hunter Hawkmoth. In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, R.P. Singh, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 3.72. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.mothsofindia.org/theretra-sumatrensis, accessed 2024/03/28.