New records of hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Sergipe, Northeastern Brazil

"Checklists are essential for elucidating species distributions. Hawkmoths, known for their extensive distribution, are considered cosmopolitan. However, in Brazil, surveys of Sphingidae are unevenly distributed across the region, with Northeastern Brazil being particularly under-sampled. To address the Wallacean shortfall for these species, this study presents new records of Sphingidae, thereby extending their documented distribution to Northeastern Brazil. Specimens were collected opportunistically within the campus of the Federal University of Sergipe, resting on the walls, throughout the day. Eight individuals representing six species were identified, of which two were new records for the state of Sergipe: Eupyrrhoglossum sagra (Poey, 1832) and Unzela japix (Cramer, 1776) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). These species are considered rare in Brazilian fauna inventories. The distribution range of E. sagra was extended by 388 km, with the nearest previous record in Pernambuco, whereas U. japix exhibited an extended range of 1,043 km, with the closest record in Piauí. This study emphasizes the biodiversity of Sergipe and highlights existing knowledge gaps concerning Sphingidae in Northeastern Brazil."