Abstract:
Twenty-nine species belonging to twenty-one genera representatives of six
tribes viz., Smerinthini, Sphingulini, Acherontiini, Dilophonotini, Macroglossini,
and Choerocampini of three subfamilies viz., Smerinthinae, Sphinginae and
Macroglossinae of the family Sphingidae with fifteen newly recorded species from
different areas of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir are described in detail with special
reference to their head, wing venations, fore and hind wings and male and female
genital complex where available.
In subfamily Smerinthinae, two tribes, the tribe Smerinthini includes seven
genera with seven species viz. Smerinthus kindermannnii Lederer, Marumba dyras
Walker, Sataspes infernalis Westwood, Leucophlebia lineata Westwood, Clanis
deucalion Walker, Clanidopsis exausta Butler, and Polyptychus dentatus Cramer,
In tribe Sphingulini only one genus and one species presented, Dolbina grisea
Staudinger. The second subfamily Sphinginae includes only one tribe
Acherontiini, with two genera, Agrius and Acherontia. In the genus Acherontia
two species included A. lachesis (Fabricius), and A. styx Westwood, while in
genus Agrius only one species Agrius convolvuli (Linnaeus), presented. The third
subfamily Macroglossinae contains three tribes with eleven genera and eighteen
species. In five genera having one species of each, Cephonodes hylas (Linnaeus),
Nephele hespera (Fabricius), Daphnis nerii (Linnaeus), Gnathothlibus erotus
(Cramer), and Pergesa acteus (Cramer). In remaining six genera, Macroglossum
with three species M. belis (Linnaeus),M. nycteris Kollar, and M. stellatarum
(Linnaeus), Acosmeryx with two species A. anceus Rothschild & Jordan,
A.sericeus (Walker), Deilephila with two species D. elepenor (Linnaeus), D.
rivularis (Biosduval), Hyles with two species Hyles gallii (Von Rottemburg),
Hyles livornica (Esper), Hippotion with two species Hippotion celerio (Linnaeus),
Hippotion rosetta (Swinhoe), Theretra with also two species Theretra alecto
(Linnaeus),and Theretra oldenlandiae (Fabricius).
All the taxa including new records are compared with their closest allies
and a key to the subfamilies, genera and species are formulated on the basis of
reliable characters, which help readily identify the taxa. The cladistic analysis of
the representatives of the family Sphingidae is also attempted using their
apomorphic characters. The biodiversity of all the included taxa is also discussed
and a map of Pakistan is given to show the distributional range and diversity of the
above taxa.