Biology and host plants of Hippotion celerio (L.) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)

"Hippotion celerio(L.) were collected and reared with Pisonia grandis under laboratory conditions. Mating occurred at night and each female laid egg singly with an average of 144-155 eggs underneath the leaves of host plants. The egg incubation period lasted for 3.12±0.16 days. The caterpillar hatched after that. They went through the complete metamorphosis with 5 larval instars and 5 moults. The developmental time for the 1st to the 5th larval instar was 3.46±0.48, 2.94±0.41, 2.90±0.50, 3.96±0.66 and 6.92±1.19 days, respectively. The mean head capsule width for instar 1-5 was 0.62±0.02, 1.03±0.05 , 1.58±0.08, 2.40±0.11 and 3.50±0.16 mm, respectively. The larval caudal horn length in mm was 2.27±0.20, 3.77±0.45, 5.80±0.65 , 8.19±0.88 and 8.80±0.72, respectively. The larvae are voracious leaf feeder. This hawk moth species is a polyphagus insects. Their host plants were Pisonia grandis, Boerhavia diffusa, Mirabilis jalapa and one unknown species belonged to Araceae."