White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth

White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth

Theretra oldenlandiae

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Hiroshima

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

5 Verified sightings at Hiroshima
18 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth

Theretra oldenlandiae, the impatiens hawkmoth, taro hornworm or white-banded hunter hawkmoth, is a member of the family Sphingidae. It is found in India, Sri Lanka, China, Borneo, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.

The species differs from Theretra lycetus in being greyish brown without pink suffusion and the two dorsal lines on the abdomen are silvery white. There are also oblique stripes on forewing and the sides of abdomen is ochreous, not golden. Hindwing with the submarginal band ochreous and narrow.

Larva is pale purplish brown. There is a yellow subdorsal line and white spots with a pale lateral line below them on the thoracic somites. Black-ringed ocelli can be seen on 4th to 10th somites, where the first two centered with blue, and posterior with purple. In the early instars, posterior ocelli are centered with crimson color with dorsal bands of yellow specks. The species is found in open lowland habitats. As the caterpillar crawls, it sweeps the tail-like horn, which is black and tipped in white, in an arc forwards and back.

They are often considered... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
2 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nagoya 🇯🇵 Japan
~40%
2 Fukuoka 🇯🇵 Japan
~20%
3 Hiroshima 🇯🇵 Japan
~20%
4 Osaka 🇯🇵 Japan
~20%
5 Davao City 🇵🇭 Philippines
~20%
6 Tokyo 🇯🇵 Japan
~20%
7 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
8 Manila 🇵🇭 Philippines
~20%
9 Sendai 🇯🇵 Japan
~10%
10 Fuzhou 🇨🇳 China
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth in Hiroshima?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth sighting in Hiroshima on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 11th most-seen of the 14 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth in Hiroshima?

June and September

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth in Hiroshima on a given day, against under 5% in February–May, July and November–December, the lowest months. Those are among Hiroshima's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain a month against 65 mm in January.

What time of day is best to see a White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Hiroshima the best place to see a White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth?

3rd of 19

Of the 19 cities where we can rate White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth sightings, Hiroshima ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Nagoya (Japan, about 40%) and Fukuoka (Japan, about 20%).

Which relatives of the White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth live in Hiroshima?

Same order: Lepidoptera

The closest relatives of the White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth that you can see in Hiroshima (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Common Bluebottle (about 30%), Chinese Yellow Swallowtail (about 30%) and Pale Grass Blue (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Hiroshima (5 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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