Riqueza de esfingídeos da Mata Atlântica Nordestina e taxonomia das espécies de Xylophanes hübner, 1819 (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) registradas na Bahia

Abstract

Hawkmoths (Sphingidae) are of great economic and ecological importance, mainly known as pollinators and bioindicators. The hawkmoth fauna of the Atlantic Forest is relatively well-known, with species inventories conducted in the southern, southeastern, and northeastern regions. Among the genera found in this biome, Xylophanes Hübner, 1819 (Macroglossini) is the richness with widespread distribution in the neotropical region. The aim of this study was to conduct a survey of the richness and taxonomic composition of hawkmoths species in the northeastern Atlantic Forest (NAF), as well as to provide support for the correct identification of Xylophanes species found in the Atlantic Forest of Bahia. The species checklist was obtained by a literature review of hawkmoths inventories available in on-line database and unpublished records from the municipality of Cruz das Almas, BA. For the taxonomic study, nine Xylophanes species were analyzed for measurements, wing coloration, and male genital morphology. The study identified a total of 90 species, distributed in three subfamilies, five tribes, and 28 genera. Xylophanes has the highest richness with 12 species, followed by the genus Manduca Hübner, 1807 (Sphinginae) with 11 species. The NAF hawkmoth fauna corresponds to 29% of the species known for Brazil, however, it ́s not endemic. Of the 12 Xylophanes taxa recorded in NAF inventories, nine occurs in Bahia: Xylophanes amadis (Stoll, 1782), Xylophanes anubus (Cramer, 1777), Xylophanes chiron nechus (Cramer, 1777), Xylophanes crenulata Vaglia & Hexaire, 2009, Xylophanes epaphus (Boisduval [1875]), Xylophanes loelia (Druce, 1878), Xylophanes pluto (Fabricius, 1777), Xylophanes tersa tersa (Linnaeus, 1771) and Xylophanes thyelia thyelia (Linnaeus, 1758). The analysis of interspecific variation in wing and male genital morphology, particularly unco, harpe, and edeago, allows for a safe identification of these nine taxa.