Acosmeryx naga subsp. hissarica Shchetkin, 1956 [Invalid]

SYN. NOV. Proposed as a subspecies of Acosmeryx naga. Acosmeryx naga hissarica was based on specimens from the Gissar Mountains in Tajikistan and characterized by their generally smaller size and paler coloration. However, more extensive collecting in this country, as well as Afghanistan and northern Pakistan has revealed a range of colour intensity, from very pale moths to dark specimens that are indistinguishable from those from the Eastern Himalaya and SE Asia. Thus, this would appear to be another example of the cline in colour intensity that was noted by Kitching & Cadiou (2000), in which sphingid species that occur along the southern edge of the Himalayas begin in the northwest as relatively small and pale moths and become gradually larger and darker as one moves east. Furthermore, DNA barcode analysis includes all samples of Acosmeryx naga from Tajikistan to Vietnam in a single BIN, ACF4345. Consequently, there is no justification for retaining subspecies status for Acosmeryx naga hissarica.