COFFEE BEE HAWKMOTHCephonodes hylas©Nitin PrabhudesaiCephonodes hylas, the coffee bee hawkmoth,

COFFEE BEE HAWKMOTH
Cephonodes hylas
©Nitin Prabhudesai

Cephonodes hylas, the coffee bee hawkmoth,pellucid hawk mothorcoffee clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771. A widely distributed moth, it is found in the Near East, Middle East, Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia.

It has transparent wings and a stout body like a bumble bee. Its wingspan of 1-2″/45–73 mm. Its marginal borders are very narrow and black. Abdomen varies in color from yellow to green. Nominate subspecies has bright reddish 3rd and 4th abdominal segments. Larva have two color forms, green and blackish.