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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Daphnis nerii
Lepidoptera / Sphingidae
Intricate green, cream and pink fields cover the wings and body of this hawk-moth. Its caterpillars feed on oleander and several related ornamental plants in tropical gardens.
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Daphnis nerii is a hawk-moth in Sphingidae, originally described by Linnaeus as Sphinx nerii. Madagascan specimens formerly assigned to this name are treated as Daphnis kitchingi in the modern taxonomic account. [1]
The adult’s dorsal wings have sharply bounded green, cream, grey and pink regions. The underside is more subdued, with ashy grey, olive and yellow tones. A white stripe runs along the underside of the thorax and abdomen; the body therefore has a different pattern on each surface. [2]
The species occurs in tropical Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and much of southern and southeastern Asia. Migrants reach central Europe. In southeastern Asia it also occupies urban gardens where ornamental host plants are grown. [1]
Final-instar larvae observed in Singapore were apple-green, with a chalk-white lateral stripe and pale blue spots. Each side of the third thoracic segment carried a large eyespot with a violet outer ring and pale centre. The yellow tail horn had a dark middle section. Before pupation, the dorsal surface became olive-brown and the flanks turned orange. Pupation took place within a lightly silk-bound enclosure of leaf debris. [2]
Oleander, Nerium oleander, is a principal larval host. Singapore observations document caterpillars on Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus, and pinwheel flower, Tabernaemontana divaricata. Two larvae collected from periwinkle in 2005 were reared to adults after being transferred to pinwheel flower. [1][2]
Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic / Natural History Museum researchers · Accessed 2026-10-11
Nature in Singapore / National University of Singapore · Accessed 2026-10-11
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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