Oleander Hawkmoth (D. nerii)

[Kathllen Moon]

Barrie Harwood wrote:
>
> Has anybody any experience of rearing this species and if so, can you
> suggest suitable larval foodplants, (other than the obvious !).

Hello.

I am not positive as to how much of this is accurate, but I *think* it
is all good data.

Nerium, Tabernaemontana, Vinca, and Gardenia sp are all used:  Nerium
and Vinca in Iraq, Nerium (in highway plantings) in Hawaii.
Unfortunately, I don't have solid data on it (after all, it hasn't made
it to southern California -yet [ :-) ] - and I doubt that USDA types
would like ir to....  Don't get me wrong, though: the moth is a
beautiful example of God's Creation.

Talk about sphingids in pictures, though - does anyone have a picture
(preferably a .gif or .jpg, although I can convert the image from most
any of the more common formats) of the larvae of this species and/ot of
Manduca rustica?

Thank you.