About Creatonotos transiens (Walker, 1855)
Creatonotos transiens is a species of moth belonging to the family Erebidae. It was first formally described scientifically by Francis Walker in 1855. This moth is distributed across China (including the regions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, central China, Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hong Kong, Hainan, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Zhejiang, and Fujian), Taiwan, Japan (the Ryukyu Islands), eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Indochina, Borneo, Bali, and Lombok. Previous records that placed this species in the Philippines are now thought to actually refer to Creatonotos wilemani, which was described by Rothschild in 1933. Dubalotov and Holloway noted that misidentified Creatonotos wilemani specimens had been placed among Creatonotos transiens material in the collections of The Natural History Museum, London. Similarly, past records placing this species in Sulawesi actually refer to Creatonotos kishidai, described by Dubalotov & Holloway in 2007. Adult Creatonotos transiens can be found in a wide variety of secondary habitats. Males of multiple Creatonotos species, including C. transiens, have inflatable coremata structures that they use to disperse pheromones before courting females. Both pheromone release and courtship behavior occur within a few hours after sunset. The larvae of C. transiens feed on a broad range of plant species, including species from the genera Beta, Dioscorea, Paspalum, Zea, Pithecellobium, Vigna, Wisteria, Toona, Musa, Salix, Cayratia, and Cissus. The larvae themselves are dark brown, with a very pale yellow stripe running along their dorsal side.
