Sphingid Moths Mating

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

A mating pair of moths from the family Sphingidae (which includes sphinx moths and hawk moths). These are large moths, 3-4 inches long. Photographed in Karnala at around 9:00 am. Sphingids are moderately active during the day as well.

Canon 500D, Canon 100mm Macro USM
SS 1/30
Av 8.0
ISO 800
Full frame, hand held.

Thanks, C&C welcome. Will update the ID if I get it.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

They merge so well with the branch, it is not easy to locate them. Good to see a mating pair. Did you find them high up in a branch? Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Sabyasachi, they were about 3 feet from the ground. I crouched down to get a more stable shooting position and to avoid distractions in the near background (though the BG highlights are distracting here )

[Atul Sinai]

Abhishek, fantastic documentation. Well composed. Thanks for sharing the piece of info. Looks like you focused on the top one. Very well captured under challenging situations. How long did the mating last?

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice natural history moment photographed. The composition and the details are nice. You captured it well at such low shutter speed. Thanks for sharing the details. Look forward to more.

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Thanks everyone.
Atul: The mating lasted for longer than I was there . In insects, mating lasts for quite a long time, ranging from a few minutes to even hours, unlike in higher animals where contact is made for a few seconds.

[Murugan Anantharaman]

Nice image Abhishek and good documentation of the mating process. Its been a while I havent been to Karnala. Need to go there soon. Thanks for sharing.