Dovania dargei Pierre, 2000 [Invalid]

Synonymized with Dovania neumanni by Kitching et al., 2018, Biodivers. Data J. 6: e22236. The holotype of Dovania neumanni is greyish with a greyish-brown hindwing upperside (not brown or brick red), and thus agrees with Pierre’s diagnosis of Dovania dargei. In addition, the harpes of the holotype of Dovania neumanni are asymmetrical, the spine on the apex of the phallus is minute and the tip of the gnathos is rounded, thus also agreeing with Pierre’s diagnosis of Dovania dargei. Only the rounded apices of the harpes agree with Pierre’s diagnosis of Dovania neumanni. On balance, therefore, it appears that Pierre misidentified Dovania neumanni, probably misled by the specimen illustrated in Sphingidae Mundi (which has a much brighter, orange hindwing upperside) and then described a specimen of Dovania neumanni as Dovania dargei. Whether the specimens misidentified by Pierre as Dovania neumanni are specifically distinct from Dovania neumanni remains to be determined but given several specimens of intermediate habitus in NHMUK, this seems unlikely.