Three new species of the Xylophanes crotonis species-group (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Colombia and a neotype designation for Xylophanes aristor

Three new species of the hawkmoth genus Xylophanes Hubner, 1819 from Colombia are described based on morphological characters and DNA barcodes: Xylophanes camilae Correa-Carmona & Giusti sp. n., Xylophanes pijao Giusti & Correa-Carmona sp. n., and Xylophanes tayrona Correa-Carmona & Giusti sp. n. The new species are compared with the most morphologically similar species within the informal Xylophanes crotonis species-group: Xylophanes aristor (Boisduval, 1870), Xylophanes crotonis (Walker, 1856) and Xylophanes huloti Haxaire & Vaglia, 2008. Diagnoses, distribution maps, photographs of genital structures and habitus are provided for each new species. In addition, a dichotomous key is provided to identify the new species and the most morphologically similar species within the group. To stabilize the nomenclature and fix the taxon concept, a neotype is designated for Xylophanes aristor.

Automated summary

Three new species of the hawkmoth genus Xylophanes from Colombia are described in detail in this study, including morphological characters, DNA barcodes, comparisons with similar species, and the designation of a neotype. Each new species is provided with diagnoses, distribution maps, photographs, and a dichotomous key for identification.