Clanis mahadeva Gehlen, 1935 [Invalid]

Synonymized with Clanis phalaris by Kitching & Cadiou, 2000, Hawkmoths of the world: 41. Reinstated as a species by Eitschberger, 2004, Neue ent. Nachr. 58: 53. Resynonymized with Clanis phalaris by Kitching and Rougerie et al., 2018, Biodivers. Data J. 6: e22236. Eitschberger (2004) (STI 17744) reinstated Clanis mahadeva from synonymy with Clanis phalaris on the flimsiest of evidence: the forewing ground colour was paler relative to that of the hindwings and the shape of the valve apodeme (smaller, slimmer and with less developed lobes). However, the ground colour of Clanis species is partly environmentally determined, with moths developing under hotter and drier conditions being paler than those developing under cooler and more humid conditions, while the difference in the shape of the valve apodeme is within the range of variation of Clanis species (demonstrated amply by many of the illustrations in Eitschberger (2004), especially those of Clanis bilineata). Furthermore, Eitschberger (2004) was wrong when he considered Clanis phalaris to be restricted to SE coast of India and Sri Lanka, and Clanis mahadeva to the Mumbai area. Specimens in NHMUK show Clanis phalaris to be quite widespread in peninsular India (see map here) and the lack of records in central India is certainly due to under-collecting in this region. Consequently, there is no justification in maintaining Clanis mahadeva as a separate species.