Misc. Sphingini

Hawkmoths of Brazil by Alan Martin

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IDENTIFICATION KEY: MISCELLANEOUS SPHINGINI

See also the Photo Gallery or Pinned Specimens or General Information

1. Cocytius

C. antaeus: a huge hawkmoth with a transparent wing panel. The outer edge of the hindwing clear panels are pointed not straight (arrow-heads).

Wing: 64-92 mm

C. duponchel female: another very large moth. The outer edge of the hindwing clear panels are almost straight and without the arrow-heads of antaeus.

Wing (male and female): 46-75 mm

C. duponchel male: smaller than the female with shorter wings and a browner/green base colour whereas the female is greyer. Both males and females are very variable in size and patterning.

C. mortuorum: similar to duponchel but note the white line that crosses the discal area of the forewing and the absence of an apical streak. Only reported from northern Brazil.

Wing: 57-72 mm

C. beelzebuth: the base colour is a rich green and purple. The hindwing panels are bright yellow and are shorter than in duponchel.

Wing: 48-70 mm

C. lucifer: a very large moth with greyish forewings and two black forewing dashes. Note also the black dorsal line on the abdomen.

Wing: 62-84 mm

C. mephisto: recently split from lucifer. Like lucifer it has the two black forewing dashes but note the pale thick dash above these that joins to the white discal spot. The black dorsal line is missing. Only reported from South and South-east Brazil.

Wing: 59-68 mm

2. Lintneria

L. justiciae: note the pale band on the forewing that runs parallel with the outer margin. The abdomen is striped with orange patches in the centre of each segment, and the thorax has black sides.

Wing: 44-53 mm

A. walkeri: a huge greenish hawkmoth with transparent wing patches.

Wing: 71-89 mm

N. cluentius: a very large and dark moth with long wings and a broad brown band along the outer forewing. The abdomen has bright yellow bands.

Wing: 55-92 mm

A very difficult family to separate with the obvious exception of curitiba.

N. curitiba: separated from the other Neogene species by the white inner areas of the hindwing.

Wing: 24-31

N. dynaeus: very small with uniform brown forewings and hindwings, and a striped abdomen.

Wing: 21-33 mm

N. reevei: very similar to dynaeus but separated by the colour of the rear portion of the head (occipital band) which is white in dynaeus and black in reevei.

Wing: 20-33 mm

N. corumbensis: very similar to dynaeus but occipital band is cream rather than white. The abdomen is brown rather than black as in dynaeus. Only reported from the West-central region of Brazil

Wing: 18-25 mm