Hemaris saundersii, or Saunders' bee hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1856. It is found from southern Kashmir, northern Pakistan, northern India (Himachal Pradesh) and north-eastern Afghanistan, eastwards along the Himalayan foothills of India (Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim) to Bangladesh and northern Myanmar.[2] The habitat consists of scrub-jungle at 1,800 to 3,000 metres altitude.
| Hemaris saundersii | |
|---|---|
| Hemaris saundersii ♂ | |
| Hemaris saundersii ♂ △ | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Sphingidae |
| Genus: | Hemaris |
| Species: | H. saundersii |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemaris saundersii (Walker, 1856)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 50–60 mm. It is a diurnal species. Adults are on ing in June in Kashmir and from April to May and again in July in Himachal Pradesh.
The larvae feed on Lonicera quinquelocularis in India.