Oleander Hawk-Moth

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Bristolian
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Oleander Hawk-Moth

Post by Bristolian »

Oleander Hawk-Moth found in my garden this morning. Having Googled it, it is often referred to as the army moth due to its camouflaged appearance. I have never seen this creature in Thailand before

The native range of the oleander hawk-moth spans Europe, Africa and Asia. This species is mainly found in the southern Mediterranean region, North Africa and the Middle East. However, it is also a rare migrant to the far north, such as to Finland, Sweden, Britain and the Shetland Islands, and has occasionally been found as far east as the Philippines. This species is one of the rarest migrant moths to reach Northern Ireland and has only been recorded there on three occasions. The wingspan is generally 12-15cm
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PeteC
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Re: Oleander Hawk-Moth

Post by PeteC »

Quite common over here on my side of the Gulf, unfortunately. Here's a photo of the larva:
imageslarve.jpg
imageslarve.jpg (8.58 KiB) Viewed 579 times
That larva will strip your plants overnight. Their favourite are red or pink flowering plants, followed by white. I've never seen them eat a plant that wasn't a flowering variety. I went around and in 30 minutes collected a bucket full of at least 100 this past hot season, which seems the time they're most active in caterpillar stage. To me a pest and a costly one at that as some bushes don't survive their attack. Pete :cheers:
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