Revision of Ambulyx moorei Moore, 1858 and related species. (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae, Smerinthinae, Ambulycini)

"The Ambulyx moorei Moore, 1858 complex comprises several externally similar taxa distributed across South and Southeast Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, Sundaland, Wallacea and the Philippines. Historical synonymies within this group have resulted in persistent taxonomic ambiguity, largely due to overlapping wing pattern variation and insufficient evaluation of male genital morphology. In this study, we conduct a comprehensive revision of the complex based on comparative morphology of male genital structures and mitochondrial COI sequence data (DNA barcodes). Five geographically structured harpe morphotypes are recognised, corresponding closely to distinct genetic lineages with low but consistent divergence of approximately 1–2%.
We describe one new species, Ambulyx ceylonica sp. nov. from Sri Lanka, and establish several subspecific taxa within A. moorei: A. m. thwaitesii Moore, 1882 stat. rev., A. m. turbata Butler, 1875 stat. rev., A. m. moorei , A. m. labuanensis Spitsyn, Bolotov & Spitsyna, 2023 syn. & stat. nov., A. m. malayana ssp. nov., and A. m. palawanica ssp. nov. In addition, Ambulyx banggaiensis Brechlin & Kitching, 2010 stat. nov. is elevated to full species from subspecific status within A. celebensis (Jordan, 1919). Finally, we propose to synonymize Ambulyx suluensis Hogenes & Treadaway, 1998 syn. nov. with A. bakeri (Clark, 1929).
Our results demonstrate the importance of integrating detailed genital morphological assessments with molecular data when attempting to resolve geographically structured species complexes and highlight how processes associated with insular biogeography have shaped diversification patterns within Southeast Asian Sphingidae."