However, many sphinx moths have swinging flight patterns (swing-hovering) when they need to hover feed, to avoid predation from spiders that may hide within flowers.

[3] Coelonia solani, another Malagasy sphinx moth with an extremely long proboscis (19 cm), was the only species in the study that successfully pollinated the flower, but it could only do so on one unusual occasion, with an abnormally behaving individual that did not swing-hover.

By 2004, the project had raised 400 young plants, 150 of which were reintroduced into the wild by 2014, and have since been protected and pollinated by the local community of Ambatofinandrahana.

[1] The main threats to the species are illegal collection for the local and international orchid trade, as well as the annual grassland fires which occur in their habitat.

Furthermore, it is also hypothesized that its sphinx moth pollinator is already extinct, as wild plants no longer produce seed pods without being hand-pollinated.