Daphnis nerii

Daphnis nerii (formerly Deilephila nerii), known as the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth, is a moth of the Sphingidae family.

Distribution

Daphnis nerii is a large hawk-moth found in wide areas of Africa and Asia. It is a migratory species, flying to parts of eastern and southern Europe during the summer, particularly Turkey.

Feeding habits

The adults feed on nectar of a great variety of flowers. They have a preference for fragrant species like petunia, jasmine and honeysuckle. They are especially active in the twilight time, hovering over the flowers after sunset.

The caterpillars feed mainly on oleander (Nerium oleander) leaves, a highly toxic plant, to which the caterpillars are immune. They also may feed on most plants of the Dogbane family, such as Adenium obesum, Tabernaemontana divaricata and Alstonia scholaris in India.

Life cycle

Newly hatched oleander hawk-moth larvae are three to four millimetres in length, bright yellow, and have a black, elongated ‘horn’ on the rear of the body. As they get older, the larvae become green to brown with a large blue-and-white eyespot near the head and a yellow ‘horn’ on the rear. There is also a white band along the side of the body, with a scattering of small white and bluish dots alongside it. The spiracles on the sides of the body are black. Older oleander hawk-moth larvae measure around 7.5 to 8.5 centimetres in length.

Nerii

The Nerii were an ancient Gallaecian Celtic tribe, living in the north of modern Galicia, in the Costa da Morte's county. Celtici Nerii are mentioned for the first time on a tombstone on the grave of a Galician nerio called Tássionos, in a Tartessian inscription from the Bronze Age.

[J.1.1] ‘Fonte Velha 6’ lokooboo niiraboo too araiai kaaltee lokoo|n ane narkee kaakiisiin|koolobo|o ii te’-e.ro-baar|e(be)e tea|siioonii ‘invoking the Lugoues of the Neri people, for a nobleman of the Celtae/Galtai Galicia: he rests still within; invoking every hero, the grave of Tasiioonos has received him.’ See John T. Koch A Case For Tartessian as a Celtic Language. ActPal X = PalHisp 9, 344.

External links