The Nepheles (Sphingidae).

Photo credits: N. accentifera @rodswazi / @seanakruger / inset @bartwursten | N. peneus @wynand_uys / @qgrobler | N. vau @roelofvdb / @suncana | N. argentifera @meagan37 / @mexel | N. comma @scottfrichardson / @bartwursten / @bartwursten / @martinmandak | N. aequivalens @martinmandak | N. cf. rosae/oenopion @bartwursten | N. bipartita @bartwursten | N. funebris @ricky_taylor

The insets of the silver markings are all from the left forewing.

Notes

• N. lannini apparently occurs in Moz. Looks pretty similar to N. funebris.
• N. rosae and N. oenopion on Afromoths look so similar to me that I can't tell the difference. We have only one ob on iNat so far (ID'd as rosae), so I have no comparisons to work with.
• All my images here need to be confirmed - please don't take this cheat sheet as gospel. If you have any suggestions for ID tips or corrections, please let me know!!
• Nepheles usually have green and brown forms. Some, especially comma often don't have the silver marking on the wing, or just a silver dot.

Here is some illustrated ID help for the large striped brown adult hawk moths. This is not necessarily an exhaustive selection, and I'm sure more species will come to light in future.

The WHITE STRIPED browns

These moths have white (or pinkish) stripes running vertically down the wing.

Photo credits: Hyles livornica @henrydelange | Rhodafra opheltes @ricky_taylor | Basiotha charis @janet_taylor | Basiotha schenki @steveball

The BROWN STRIPED browns

Most of the Hippotions and a couple of Theretras. Check abdomen markings (or lack thereof) and the shape, width and colour of the median band when ID'ing your moths. There is quite a lot of variation within a species, and older, worn moths can look very different to freshly emerged adults.

Photo credits: Hippotion balsaminae @botswanabugs | Hippotion eson @moira_fitzpatrick | Hippotion celerio @suncana | Theretra monteironis @riana60 | Hippotion osiris @ajdyason | Hippotion aporodes (probably) @jeanpaulboerekamps | Theretra cajus @colin25

This was knocked up pretty quickly, so please let me know of any errors or omissions ;-)

Thank you very much, as always, to the photographers for their wonderful images!
.

Fulvous Hawk & Death's Head Hawkmoth have very similar caterpillars. So much so that I have always wondered why they're not in the same genus...

Anyhoo, here are some illustrations to help ID these gorgeous beasties.

Like many species, the caterpillars have GREEN and BROWN forms. It would seem from records on iNat that the green forms are much more common (or perhaps more easily seen?) than the brown forms. In all forms Acherontia has a stubby, bobbly tail, and Coelonia has a longer, granular tail.

Desriptions and illustrations here show late instar larvae. They can look pretty different in early instars.

GREEN FORMS

Image credits:
Acherontia atropos - @rjpretor
Coelonia fulvinotata - @leani

Acherontia

• can be many shades of green or yellow (see image below) with stripes of green and/or blue and speckles.
• no dark line down the centre of the back.
• tail stubby, usually floppy (can be erect in earlier instars) and covered in bobbles ('pimples').
• spiracles usually readily visible

Coelonia

• shades of green, stripes of blue or purplish, no speckles.
• wide dark line down the back - purplish or blue, or can be a sort of pale beige-orange.
• tail longer, usually held at an angle, can be sort of granular but not bobbly.
• spiracles often not visible

BROWN FORMS

Image credits:
Acherontia atropos - @craigmain
Coelonia fulvinotata - @suncana

Image credits:
Acherontia atropos - @nick-de-swardt
Coelonia fulvinotata - @suemarsden

Acherontia

• fairly uniform pale beige-brown heavily spotted with white dots.
• diamond pattern along the back.
• tail stubby, usually floppy (can be erect in earlier instars) and covered in bobbles ('pimples').
• thorax (which looks like the top of the 'head') is smooth, whitish, with brown checkerboard pattern.

Coelonia

• fairly uniform darkish brown on top and paler on the sides, with dark brown patch (usually) on the anal prolegs.
• no diamond pattern on the back
• tail longer, usually held at an angle, can be sort of granular but not bobbly.
• thorax (which looks like the top of the 'head') has lovely spiny ornamentation, with brown checkerboard pattern.

ACHERONTIA green form COLOURWAYS

Image credits:
Clockwise from left - @bartwursten @lukefoster @mishb93 @tjeerddw

Thank you very much to the photographers for their beautiful images!

(I knocked this up pretty quickly, so please let me know if errors have crept in ;-)

Image of brown & green H. celerio kind courtesy @ydnewp2

Hippotion celerio and H. eson caterpillars are hard to tell apart, especially in the younger instars.

Both species have green and brown forms. As far as we can tell, H. eson always turns brown in final instar, whereas H. celerio can remain green.

These notes are based on our experience so far, and we welcome any further tips and amendments. The pillars are very variable, so these notes are just a guide.

BROWN FORMS

Images kind courtesy of @magdastlucia and @ernestporter

Diagnostic feature:
H. eson always has the white patch, H. celerio never does.

GREEN FORMS

Images kind courtesy of @magrietb

Diagnostic feature:
They're all a bit iffy, but @magrietb says the ring around the big 'eye' is the best character, especially in later instars.

Thank you very much to Magriet for all the notes, especially about the green forms, from her experience of rearing the little munchkins :-)