Acosmeryx omissa Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 - Obscure Forest Hawkmoth

Taxonomic Information

List of Acosmeryx Boisduval, [1875] known from India.
Acosmeryx anceus (Stoll, 1781), Assam (Arandhara et al.,2017) Jharkhand (Singh et al.,2018), Karnataka (Ghoparde et al., 2013), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017).
Acosmeryx akanshi Melichar,Řezáč,Manjunatha & Horecký, 2014, Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Tamil Nadu (Iyer and Kitching, 2019).
Acosmeryx castanea Rothschild & Jordan,1903, Sikkim Himalaya region (Khan and Raina, 2017).
Acosmeryx naga (Moore, 1858), Punjab (Singh and Kaur, 2017), Sikkim Himalaya (Khan and Raina, 2017).
Acosmeryx omissa Rothschild & Jordan,1903, Himalayan region (Sanyal et al., 2018); West Bengal (Shah, 2016).
Acosmeryx pseudonaga Butler,1881, Sikkim (Kitching, 2020).
Acosmeryx sericeus (Walker, 1856), Meghalaya; (Bortolin et al., 1998), Sikkim (Kitching, 2020), Himalayan region (Sanyal et al.,2018).
Acosmeryx shervillii Boisduval, 1875, Assam (Arandhara et al., 2017, Karnataka (Melichar, 2012), Maharashtra, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu.
Acosmeryx socrates Boisduval, 1875, Himalayan region (Sanyal et al., 2018), Karnataka (Ghoparde et al., 2013).

Photo Gallery and Species Biology

Most other species lack the dentate forewing termen. Very similiar to A. sericeus however the ground colour in that species is a much deeper violaceous-grey and more variegated in brown. The inner arm of the discal FW λ pattern of A. sericeus is much more distinct.
 Very similar and easily confused with Acosmeryx sericeus. Upperside of body and wings more uniform in colour, much less variegated in with grey and chestnut than in Acosmeryx sericeus. Thorax underside more olivaceous than in Acosmeryx sericeus. Abdomen underside less bright tawny than in Acosmeryx sericeus. Forewing upperside with brown, curved, antemedial band less extended than in Acosmeryx sericeus, the two lines that form it being separate for the greater part; first discal line narrow, broken at the veins, as are the subsequent lines; the bars between veins CuA1 and CuA2 of lines 3 and 4 heavier and closer together, often forming a single patch; an oblique band present, positioned as in Acosmeryx sericeus, narrower anteriorly, somewhat dilated distad at vein M2. Both wings undersides with costal margins less marked than in Acosmeryx sericeus, and the tawny colour more restricted and less bright. Hindwing upperside with dark discal and submarginal bands present, as in Acosmeryx sericeus. Hindwing underside with a distinct white line at the distal border with, as in Acosmeryx sericeus, widest between veins M2 and M3, not just at M2 (Sphingidae Taxonomic Inventory, 2021).

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh313
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland1
Odisha
Paschimbanga
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Total3131
  1. Acosmeryx omissa Rothschild & Jordan, 1903. Novit. zool. 9 (suppl.): 527 (key), 530. Type locality: Bhutan, Buxa.
  2. https://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/a_omi.htm
  3. Kitching, I. Sphingidae Taxonomic Inventory. http://sphingidae.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/279 [accessed 3 Oct 2015]

Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Acosmeryx omissa Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 – Obscure Forest Hawkmoth. In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, R.P. Singh, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 3.73. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://moths.ncbs.res.in/acosmeryx-omissa, accessed 2024/04/16.