Comma Nephele Nephele comma

Photo of Comma Nephele (Nephele comma)

(c) Svyatoslav Knyazev, some rights reserved (CC BY)

OrderButterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera)
FamilySphinx Moths (Sphingidae)
GenusNephele (Nephele)

This isn't a butterfly—it's something even more impressive: a hawk moth of the Sphingidae family, built like a miniature flying powerhouse. Extremely common throughout the Ethiopian Region and Madagascar, these moths are among Africa's most successful insects, capable of rapid, agile flight that puts most butterflies to shame. If you spot one, you're witnessing one of the continent's ecological superstars.

Think you can identify this one in the wild?

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