Amerila astreus communis (Walker, [1865])

Drury, D. (1773). Illustrations of Natural History, wherein are exhibited
upwards of two hundred and twenty figures of exotic insects, vol. 2:
pp. 49-50, pl. 28, fig. 4 (the name Sphinx Astreus is given in the index).
Described in the genus Sphinx.

Fig. IV. Expands almost three inches.

Upper-side.--The Antennae are thread-like and light brown, being thickest
in the middle.--The Eyes are dark brown.--The Head is cream-coloured,
spotted with black.--The Neck the same, with a red cleft, or opening, in
the middle, and a black spot on each side.--The Thorax is cream-coloured,
spotted with black.--The Abdomen scarlet.--The Superior Wings are
transparent, whereof a third, next the tips, is opake and of a light hair
colour, that runs about half way up the anterior edge of each wing; where
is a streak of the same colour, running half way cross the wing. The
anterior and posterior edges are of a dark cream colour.--The Inferior
Wings are also transparent, the anterior edges and upper corners being dark
cream colour.

Under-side.--The Palpi are white externally, but red within-side; the
extremities being black.--The Tongue is curled up.--The Breast is white,
with a black spot on each side.--The Legs are red.--The under-sides of the
Thighs are white.--The Abdomen is cream colour, having a narrow white
streak on each side, whereon are several black spots.--All the Wings appear
of the same colour as on the upper-side, without any variation.

I received it from Bengal.

I have not seen it any where described.

Hampson, G. F. (1901). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British
Museum, vol. 3: pp. 504-505, text-fig. 225. As Rhodogastria astreas.

2120. Rhodogastria astreas.

Glaucopis astreas, Drury, Ill. Exot. Ent. ii. p. 28, f. 4 (1773); Hmpsn.
Moths Ind. ii. p. 88; Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 195.
Sphinx melanthus, Cram. Pap. Exot. iii. pl. 286, B (1780).
Noctua eugenia, Fabr. Syst. Ent. 3. ii. p. 19 (1794).
Chelonia madagascariensis, Boisd. Delegorgue, Voy. Afr. Austr. ii. p. 598
(1847); Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 195.
Amerila rhodopa, Wlk. xxxi. 305 (1864); Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 195.
Creatonotus communis, Wlk. xxxi. 283 (1864); Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 195.
Amerila vitrea, Plotz, Stett. ent. Zeit. xli. p. 84 (1880); Kirby, Cat.
Het. p. 195.
Rhodogastria fraterna, Moore, Trans. Ent. Soc. 1884, p. 356; Kirby, Cat.
Het. p. 195.
Amerila bauri, Moschl. Verh. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, xxxiii. p. 289, pl. 16.
f. 2 (1884).
Amerila phaedra, Weym. Stett. ent. Zeit. liii. p. 106 (1892).

Head and thorax brownish grey to almost pure white; palpi crimson with
black spots; frons above, basal joint of antennae, and vertex of head with
black spots, the basal joint crimson below; tegulae, shoulders, patagia,
pro- meso- and metathorax with paired black spots, the tegulae crimson
below; legs mostly crimson, fore and mid coxae with lateral black spots.
Fore wing brownish white; two black points at base; a large discal hyaline
patch in and below end of cell and in the interspaces beyond it, extending
to near termen between veins 5 and 2; a more or less broad discoidal band,
the costal area from middle and an apical patch broad to vein 5, then
narrow to vein 2, darker brown.

Ab. 1. madagascariensis. Fore wing with the discoidal band reduced to a
line on discocellulars, the colour being almost white in the form fraterna
from Bombay, grey-brown in madagascariensis = rhodopa from S. Africa and
S. India, darker brown in vitrea from W. Africa.

Ab. 2. bauri. Tegulae without spots; fore wing with the hyaline spots
beyond the cell defined by dark edges.--C. Colony.

Hab. E. Africa, Saadani; Congo, 1 ♀; Angola (Mrs. Monteiro), 1 ♂; Natal
(Gooch), 2 ♂, 1 ♀, (Marshall) 1 ♀; C. Colony, Grahamstown, 1 ♂; W. China,
Ta-chien-lu, Chia-kou-ho (Pratt), 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Formosa (Hobson), 1 ♂; Bengal
(Russell), 3 ♀; Bombay (Leith), 2 ♂, 1 ♀, type fraterna; Shevaroy Hills
(Morris), 1 ♂; Coimbatore (Walhouse), 1 ♂, type rhodopa; Ceylon, 1 ♂, 1 ♀;
Burma, Toungoo (Watson), 1 ♀; Bali (Doherty), 1 ♀; Bouru, type ♂ communis
in Mus. Oxon.; Aru (Wallace), 1 ♀. Exp. 46-74 millim.

Rothschild, W. (1914). Rhodogastria. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The
Macrolepidoptera of the World, vol. 10, The Indo-Australian Bombyces and
Sphinges: p. 261, pl. 25 f. As Rhodogastria astreus.

Rh. astreus Drury (25 f). Head, collar and thorax silvery-grey, spotted
black; antennae blackish-brown with a red base; abdomen yellowish carmine.
Forewing light grey, the discoidal spot and apical quarter brownish-grey, a
large discal spot between the veins 3 and 7 hyaline. Hindwing semi-hyaline,
whitish-grey, apex darker. Length of forewing: ♂ 26, ♀ 32 mm. India,
Ceylon, Burmah and Shan States. -- druryi subsp. nov. differs from the type
by the darker, drab head and thorax, the reddish-yellow abdomen, the darker
forewings and yellowish-grey hindwings. Moluccas and Malayan Islands. --
novaeguineae subsp. nov. is larger, the grey much darker and purer. New
Guinea. -- hainana Rothsch. has a rather small ♂, being smaller than in all
the other astreus-forms, darker and dirty grey, and the discoidal spot of
the fore wing is less hyaline. The ♀ is large and much more yellowish.
Island of Hainan. -- curtisi Rothsch. (25 e) from the Malayan Peninsula is
at once discernible by both sexes being equally small and throughout
darker.

Subspecies communis:

Walker, F. [1865]. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the
Collection of the British Museum, part 31: pp. 283-284. Described in the
genus Creatonotos.

Creatonotos communis.

Foem. Pallide cinereo-cervina; caput nigro bipunctatum; palpi rosei, nigro
bifasciati; thorax nigro quatuordecim punctatus; abdomen apice roseum,
punctis lateralibus nigris; alae semihyalinae, apice fuscae; anticae
punctis tribus basalibus nigris, striga antica lata transversa fusca;
posticae angulo interiore subproducto.

Female. Pale cinereous fawn-colour. Head with a black point on the vertex
and with another on the front; hind border rosy. Palpi rosy, with a black
band and with black tips. Antennae black, rosy at the base. Thorax with two
black points on each of the four tegulae and with six on the disk. Abdomen
with black points on each side above and beneath, rosy towards the tip
above. Legs rosy; femora striped with fawn-colour; anterior tibiae and fore
tarsi blackish above; a black spot on each of the fore coxae. Wings
semihyaline, with brown tips. Fore wings with three black points at the
base, and with a broad brown streak across the end of the discal areolet.
Hind wings with the interior angle rather prominent. Length of the body 10
lines; of the wings 32 lines.

Bouru. In Mr. Saunders' collection.

Hampson, G. F. (1920). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British
Museum, Supplement 2: p. 519, pl. 68, fig. 24. As Rhodogastria communis.

2113 d. Rhodogastria communis. (Plate LXVIII. fig. 24.)

Creatonotus communis, Wlk. xxxi. 283 (1864).

♂. Head white with black points above frons and on vertex; palpi crimson
with black bands on 2nd and 3rd joints; antennae black, crimson towards
base; thorax whitish tinged with brown, the tegulae, patagia, pro-, meso-,
and metathorax with paired black points; pectus suffused with crimson; legs
crimson, the femora streaked with brownish white, the fore and mid tibiae
with fuscous; abdomen with the basal half ochreous, the terminal half
crimson, the ventral surface brownish white. Fore wing whitish suffused
with pale brown, the apical area tinged with fuscous; two black points at
base of cell and one on costa; a fuscous brown discoidal bar; the extremity
of cell and a large patch beyond it between veins 7 and 3 semihyaline
white, its outer edge sinuous and below vein 5 extending to towards termen.
Hind wing whitish tinged with pale brown, the cell and interspaces beyond
it to near termen semihyaline white.

Hab. Buru (Wallace), type ♂ in Mus. Oxon. Exp. 68 millim.

Rothschild, W. (1914). Rhodogastria. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The
Macrolepidoptera of the World, vol. 10, The Indo-Australian Bombyces and
Sphinges: p. 261. Treated as a form of Rh. arthus-bertrand Guer., whose
paragraph it refers to; both paragraphs:

Rh. arthus-bertrand Guer. (25 e). Legs red, anterior and middle tibiae
above dark brown; antennae blackish-brown, base red; head, neck and thorax
yellowish-grey with black spots; abdomen greyish-yellow, the first two
segments with long hairs of a pink mixed with yellow, the last two rings
dark pink. The forewing is in the basal half greyish yellowish-brown and
shows a large, blackish-brown discoidal spot, the apical half being
earth-coloured brown; between the veins 2 and 7 there is a large, hyaline
spot. Hindwing semi-hyaline whitish yellowish-grey, the distal margin
yellowish greyish-brown, the proximal third of the wing light
yellowish-grey with long, dense pink and grey hair. ♀ like the ♂, but the
long hair of the hindwing are absent. In both sexes the hindwing is at the
anal angle extended into a sharp apex. Length of forewing: ♂ 32 to 38, ♀ 32
mm. New Guinea and in the neighbouring islands, the Moluccas and New
Holland. Southern specimens usually show the abdomen more uniformly
carmine, but this is not invariably so. -- communis Wkr. differs from the
type by lighter colours and the much more extensive hyaline area of all the
wings. Island of Buru.