Macroglossum soror is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Sphingidae

Sphingidae

Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...

 family. It is known from Réunion

Réunion

Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...

 (formerly known as Île Bourbon).

It is similar to Macroglossum milvus

Macroglossum milvus

Macroglossum milvus is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Réunion and Mauritius.The head and thorax uppersides have a dark mesial line. The abdomen upperside has four orange lateral patches, of which the first is the smallest. The thorax underside is clayish reddish cinnamon. The...

and Macroglossum alluaudi

Macroglossum alluaudi

Macroglossum alluaudi is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from the Seychelles.There are three orange-yellow lateral spots on the abdomen. The forewing upperside is without a discal spot, but there are two heavy straight discal lines. The basal half of the forewing underside is washed...

. There are four large, deep rust-coloured lateral patches on the abdomen that are not separated from one another. The forewing upperside has a discal spot which is rather large. The hindwing upperside is reddish orange, shaded with rust distally, without a yellow band, the base is not darker than the middle of the wing. The fringe is pale brown.