Yam hawkmoth
The yam hawkmoth is a big, strong hawk moth with wings up to 13 centimetres across. Its head and back are green, and its body has golden yellow sides. Its caterpillar is bluish green with an eye spot and a little yellow horn at its tail.
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Fun facts
Like other hawk moths, it is a fast and strong flier.
Its front wings are olive brown, and its back wings are dark brown with a yellowish band.
It recently arrived on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
It lives in a huge area, from Sri Lanka and India to Japan, Australia and New Caledonia.
Most asked questions about Yam hawkmoth
?How big is the yam hawkmoth?
Its wings measure 9 to 13 centimetres from tip to tip.
?What does the yam hawkmoth caterpillar eat?
Many plants, including yam, amaranth, impatiens and watermelon.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Theretra nessus
- Named by
- Drury, 1773
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Sphingidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Sphingidae
- Lives on
- Asia, Australia and Oceania
- Also known as
- Yam hawk moth
Where the facts come from
- Theretra nessus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Shantanu Kuveskar. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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