''Daphnis nerii'', the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.
Similar species: Moths And Butterflies
By Stuart
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Uploaded Oct 6, 2018. Captured Oct 2, 2018 13:27 in Unnamed Road, Arillas Magouladon 490 81, Greece.
comments (12)
"It's no secret that caterpillars can be exceptionally beautiful. The Oleander Hawk-Moth Caterpillar (Daphnis nerii) definitely fulfills that expectation. They are chubby, display striking colors, have big eyespots, and a cute horn on their rear-ends that looks like a tiny tail. Their stunning, blue eyespots aren't very helpful though when it comes to seeing. In fact, they aren't helpful at all because they aren't real eyes. They are just spots. Actually, caterpillars can hardly see at all; their real eyes are tiny and are mostly used to differentiate shades of light. But, having big, fake eyes is a great disguise that is menacing enough to fool birds into thinking that the caterpillar is actually a snake that's not to be messed with. Another reason that these caterpillars are awesome is that they eat toxic plants. They feed mainly on oleander (Nerium oleander), which is a highly toxic plant. Naturally, the caterpillars are immune to the plant's toxins because what sense would it make to have your primary food source be something that kills you? They sequester the toxins in their bodies and rely on them as an additional deterrent against predators. Pretty cool cats! {Spotted in Greece by JungleDragon moderator, Stuart Nathaniel} #JungleDragon"
Posted 4 years ago