Theretra nessus (Drury, 1773) - Greater Yam Hawkmoth

Taxonomic Information

List of Theretra Hübner, [1819] known from India.
Theretra alecto (Linnaeus, 1758), Jharkhand (Sambath, 2011), Karnataka (Melichar, 2012),
Madhya Pradesh (Chandraetal.,2013), Punjab (Pathiana et al., 2014), Uttarakhand (Sondhi and Sondhi 2016).
Theretra boisduvalii (Bugnion, 1839), Eastern Himalaya, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Uttarakhand (Pittaway and Kitching, 2013).
Theretra castanea (Moore, 1872), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Maharashtra (Gurule et al.,2013), Tamil Nadu (Iyer and kitching, 2019).
Theretra clotho (Drury, 1773), Karnataka (Ghoparde et al., 2013), Kerala (Mathew et al., 2018), Punjab (Pathiana et al., 2014).
Theretra gnoma (Fabricius, 1775), Karnataka (Ghoparde et al., 2013), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017).
Theretra griseomarginata (Hampson, 1898), Uttarakhand (Sondhi and Sondhi, 2016), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Karnataka (Ghoparde et al., 2013).
Theretra insignis (Butler, 1882), Karnataka (Sondhi et al., 2017).
Theretra lucasii (Walker, 1856), Assam (Arandhara et al., 2017), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Tamil Nadu (Iyer and Kitching, 2019).
Theretra lycetus (Cramer, 1775), Himalayan region (Singh et al.,2020), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Karnataka (Ghoparde et al., 2013), Maharashtra (Subhalakshmi et al., 2011) West Bengal (Nayak, 2020).
Theretra nessus (Drury, 1773), Assam (Arandhara et al., 2017), Jharkhand (Sambath, 2011), Karnataka, (Mishra et al 2016), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Punjab (Singh and Kaur, 2020), Tamil Nadu (Iyer and Kitching, 2019).
Theretra oldenlandiae (Fabricius, 1775), Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, (Subhalakshmi et al., 2011).
Theretra pallicosta (Walker, 1856), Karnataka (Melichar, 2012); Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2018).
Theretra shendurneensis Sondhi, Kitching, Basu & Kunte, 2017, Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017).
Theretra silhetensis (Walker, 1856), Assam (Arandhara et al., 2017), Kerala (Sondhi et al., 2017), Tamil Nadu (Iyer and Kitching, 2019), West Bengal (Biswas et al., 2016).
Theretra suffusa (Walker, 1856), Nepal, North East India (Leong and Rozario, 2009).
Theretra sumatrensis (Joicey & Kaye, 1917), Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu (Iyer and Kitching, 2019) South Western Ghats (Sondhi et al., 2017).
Theretra tibetiana Vaglia & Haxaire, 2010, North Eastern India (Irungbam, 2020).

Photo Gallery and Species Biology

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh12114
Assam1
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh1
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa1
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh1
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka1
Kerala21
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh1
Maharashtra111251
Manipur
Meghalaya111
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga112
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu111
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal1
Total14225391022

Theretra nessus (Drury, 1773) – Greater Yam Hawkmoth: Pongamia pinnata (Fabaceae), Dioscorea bulbifera (Dioscoreaceae), Cinnamomum sp. (Lauraceae), Amorphophallus sp. (Araceae), Convolvulus sp. (Convolvulaceae) (Robinson et al. 2010).

  1. Pittaway, A.R. & I.J. Kitching. Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic (including Siberia, the Russian Far East, Mongolia, China, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula and Japan.). http://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/t_nes.htm [accessed 5 Sep 2015]
  2. Iyer, G. & I.J. Kitching. 2019. A preliminary study of the hawkmoth diversity (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(5): 13592–13604. Pg: 13596; Image 8.   DOI.10.11609/jott.4694.11.5.13592-13604.

Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Theretra nessus (Drury, 1773) – Greater Yam Hawkmoth. In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, R.P. Singh, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 3.72. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://moths.ncbs.res.in/theretra-nessus, accessed 2024/03/28.