Rhodoprasina floralis ( Butler, 1876 )

Jiang, Zhuo-Heng, Xu, Zhen-Bang, Lin, Yi-Ting, Liu, Chang-Qiu, Wang, Xin & Hu, Shao-Ji, 2025, New records and notes of hawkmoths from China (Lepidoptera, Bombycoidea), Zootaxa 5673 (2), pp. 151-188 : 164-165

Rhodoprasina floralis ( Butler, 1876) [Oidzạṣ天ẽ]

( Figures 18–20 )

Ambulyx floralis Butler, 1876 ; Trans. zool. Soc. Lond., 9 (19): 639; TL: ‘Darjeeling’[West Bengal, India].

Material examined. CHINA: ♂, Chentang, Dinggyê county, Xizang Autonomous Region , China , 2-VI-2024, Local collector leg. [ XZBC] ; ♀, Biebeng Township, Motuo County (1950 m), Xizang Autonomous Region , China , 27-VI-2021, Zheng-Yang Liu leg. [ JZHC] .

Diagnosis. Male ( Figure 18A–B ): Head, thorax, and abdomen with dorsal side green, ventral side pale green. Forewing elongate-triangular, with a heavily crenulate outer margin and pointed apex; distal portion of inner margin concave and sparsely covered with brownish-purple scales. Dorsal side green with five dark green curved lines scattered with silver scales from basal to medial area; submarginal area with an indistinct zigzag pattern. Ventral side pale green with red interno-discoidal area; a curved olive line extends beyond the interno-discoidal area, with a nearly straight, white-edged olive line in the medial area and an indistinct submarginal zigzag pattern that becomes brownish-purple towards the tornus. Hindwing—dorsal side red with a whitish costal area and green marginal area; ventral side pale green, with three straight, white-edged olive lines from basal to submarginal area and a faint brownish-purple marking near the tornus.

Female: Similar to male but significantly larger, with a faded ground color and patterns, broader wings, and more slender antennae.

Male Genitalia ( Figure 19A–D ): Uncus elongate and tongue-shaped, with a finely bilobed terminal section. Gnathos absent. Sacculus broad, sclerotized apically, bearing a long, curved, ventral claw; juxta leaf-shaped. Phallus short and straight, with a terminal lobe that features a circular sclerite edged with sharp teeth.

Distribution. China (S Xizang and SE Xizang), Nepal, Bhutan, India ( Figure 1 ).

Biological Notes. This species inhabits high-elevation evergreen broadleaf forests. Specimens were attracted to light at night or observed resting on plants during the day ( Figure 20 ).

Remarks. This species, the type species of Rhodoprasina , has previously been recorded in Nepal, Bhutan, and NE India ( Řezáč, 2018). It is distinguished by its heavily crenulate outer margin and variable body coloration, which ranges from green to yellow-greenish or bronze in some individuals. This study records the species for the first time from Chentang, S Xizang, near the China-Nepal border, confirmed by DNA barcoding.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Geographic distribution of Smerinthinae and Sphinginae species included in this study.

FIGURE 18. Habitus of Rhodoprasina floralis. (A–B), male, Chentang, Dinggyê county, Xizang Autonomous Region, China; (C–D), female, Beibeng, Motuo county, Xizang Autonomous Region, China. Scale bar = 10 mm.

FIGURE 19. Male genitalia of Rhodoprasina floralis, Chentang, Dinggyê county, Xizang Autonomous Region, China. (A) Lateral view, left valve removed; (B) Left valve; (C) Phallus; (D) Anterior lobe of the process.

FIGURE 20. Habitat of Rhodoprasina floralis in Chentang, Dinggyê county, Xizang Autonomous Region, China.