Plain grey hawkmoth [Psilogramma increta]

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Flora & Fauna

The moth belongs to the Sphingidae family, also known as sphinx moths. According to Wikipedia, they are moderate to large in size, with a wingspan of 90-122 mm. Some hawk moths are mistaken for hummingbirds owing to their habit of hovering in mid-air while feeding on nectar from flowers. According to the website tpittaway.tripod.com, “Males can make a weak hissing sound by rubbing scales over spines at the end of the abdomen.” It also describes the larva “Full-fed 69--110mm. Pale yellow on hatching, with a large black horn. With feeding the body colour becomes more green. At this stage most growth is in length, not width.”

Collection:

Nature Collection

Album Name:

Mymoon Moghul collection - Moths

Photograph ID:

001/0394/0043

Album ID:

0394

Photographer:

Mymoon Moghul was born and brought up in the IIT Madras campus. She did her schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Madras. Mymoon Moghul graduated from Quaid-e-Millat Govt. College for Women, Chennai with a degree in zoology. Following this, she completed her post-graduation in Library and Information Science and Psychology. In 2001, Mymoon attained a doctorate in the field of scientometrics. She has been working as a library professional since 1986. Since 1993, she has been working at the CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai. She is a passionate wildlife photographer.