Dilophonotini thumbnails

Colombia Dilophonotini:
Aellopos, Eupyrrhoglossum, Nyceryx, Perigonia, Stolidoptera

This very tentative checklist will become more accurate as images and information are sent to me. If you would like to assist in the development of this worldwide Sphingidae data/image base, please send info and images to Bill Oehlke.

I have arranged the images in accordance with my perception of wing characters: predominent markings, shape, colour, size.

There are probably some Colombian species not listed below, and there are some species included that are not officially confirmed for Colombia, although I think they have a good chance of being found there.

Females often have a wing shape or pattern that differs from the males. I hope some day to also have a thumbnail checklist for the females.

Many thanks to Gregory Nielsen and Rodrigo Torres Nunez for the images and data they have been sending for Colombia.

Aellopos


Aellopos ceculus
Cell spot usually masked by dark band. Fws: dark brown with paler marginal area and slightly paler sinuate post median bands divided by thin darker lines.
Slightly paler am band also divided.
Hws: Broad, transverse yellow band, widening near anal angle.
Aellopos ceculus, Villavicencio, Meta, August 23, 2011, Gregory Nielsen.

Aellopos clavipes
Body: dark brown; wide white band across abdomen. Fw: dark brown, black cell spot, three white spots near pale brown marginal area. Absence of white scales on hw anal angle.







Aellopos fadus
Wide white stripe across the abdomen. Wings are dark brown. No black cell spot. Outer band (upper half divided in two by dark line) of translucent white spots more extensive than in titan; inner band also divided in two. Hw: pale patches along costa and inner margin reduced, compered to titan.




A. tantalus tantalus
Body: reddish brown; wide white band across abdomen segment 4. Fw: reddish brown with black cell spot, three white spots (upper spot largest and often divided) near gray marginal area. A paler, almost vestigial median band runs from cell spot to inner margin. Hw: dark brown, indistinct pale yellow median band on upper half of wing; no white patch at anal angle.
Cell spot directly over inner most white band


Aellopos titan titan
Wide white stripe across the abdomen. Wings are dark brown. Fw: black spot end of cell, two bands of translucent white spots. Lower band (cell to inner margin) divided in two by dark line. Hw: pale patches along costa and inner margin.
Cell spot internal to innermost white band





Aellopos titan titan
Wide white stripe across the abdomen. Wings are dark brown. Fw: black spot end of cell, two bands of translucent white spots. Lower band (cell to inner margin) divided in two by dark line. Hw: pale patches along costa and inner margin.
Villavicencio, Meta, 500m,
February 24, 2011, Gregory Nielsen
Isla Gorgona, Cauca, 0m,
May 31, 2011, Humberto Calero Mejia

Eupyrrhoglossum


Eupyrrhoglossum corvus
Similar to Perigonia lusca lusca form restituta, but dark grey thorax with dark brown edges and broad median stripe. Lacks sagra's fw semitransparent submarginal spot and hw yellow fringe.

Eupyrrhoglossum sagra
Note white/pale spot/crescent in middle of forewing submarginal area. Note bright yellow hindwing fringe.

Nyceryx



Nyceryx maxwelli: Several dark patches against lavender-grey ground colour. Similar to Nyceryx continua cratera but apex of hindwing upperside brown and tornal area not yellow. Hindwing upperside with yellow basal area not extending beyond 1A, and apex brownish-orange (not dark brown).


Nyceryx coffaeae
Almost uniform dark brown ground colour. Outer margin not deeply hollowed out below apex, instead o.m. divided into two roughly equal, almost straight (slightly concave) edges with slight bulge at their juncture.
Large, slightly darker trapezoid with base along inner margin, extending to bottom of cell.




Nyceryx hyposticta
Large species.
Fw: Semitransparent spots in distal half.
Arc from above cell to anal angle is recurved at cell.
Double, convex am lines: dark interior in lower half.
Hw: pink, three transverse black bands.
















Nyceryx ericea
Prominent diffuse, dark arc, upwardly convex, from near midpoint of costa to anal angle.
Thin, dark, scalloped arc from apex to anal angle. Semitransparent spots in the distal half of the forewing.



Nyceryx tacita
Prominent small white triangular patch in upper half of subterminal area.
Strong dark green suffusions over dark brown in costal regions.
Large dark triangular patch with base from body to midpoint along inner margin with right angle to costa.
Significant pale lines define other dark patches.
Cundinamarca, December 16, 2010;
Rodrigo Torres Nunez; 67mm



Nyceryx lunaris
Semitransparent spots in distal half of fw and middle of hw.
Black streak on 1A+2A before middle (as in N. ericea but longer and thicker).
o. m.: dark brown patch runs from Rs4 to tornus, with apex on M2; separate from lunule of same colour between Rs3 and Rs4.
Hw: salmon-pink to brownish-orange basal area.










Nyceryx riscus
Diffuse, very dark, somewhat angular arc from apex to anal angle. Fine but distinct lines over reddish brown ground colour.
Lacks significant addition markings on forewing.



Nyceryx stuarti
Two black, subparallel, concave lines determnie a smooth arc from apex to anal angle with marginal area and space between two black lines filled with light grey scaling. Small light grey patch along inner margin. Fine lines over reddish brown ground colour.




Nyceryx magna ??
Fw: dark especially above and outside arc from above cell to anal angle. Hw: brownish-orange basal area (similar to Nyceryx lunaris), pale greyish-purple bands near anal angle.


N. n. nictitans ??
Fw: minute discal spot with single white dot on proximal side.
Hw: deep orange base, dark brown marginal band of even width as far as CuA2, lacks semitransparent spots.
questionable in Colombia

Perigonia


Perigonia ilus
Lacks solid, dark apical crescent to mid bulge, instead a diffuse, dark arc with lighter internal scaling.

Perigonia lusca : Fw: Dark, slightly irregular, inwardly concave, thick line runs from apex to anal angle. Prominent, straight, dark aml outwardly shaded in dark brown more widely along inner angle, tapers toward costa. Outer margin, oblique, almost straight. Small black dot at base of costa midpoint, slightly larger black, short black streak in cell. Hw yellow band very variable.
Villavicencio, Meta, 500m;
FWL = 28mm; January 10, 2011, GN


Perigonia pallida
Similar to Perigonia stulta but generally paler, forewings narrower. Hindwing upperside very similar to Perigonia stulta but brown border narrower and basal patch deeper yellow-orange tint.
Both species with solid, dark crescent apex to midwing bulge; pallida with less pointed apex.
questionable in Colombia


















Perigonia stulta: Crenulations of forewing outer margin are variable in degree of development, but greatly produced near midpoint. Forewing upperside lacks distinct grey-brown or pale brown lunate patch on the outer margin. Forewing underside submarginal line distinct at least from the apex to M2, bordered with grey distally.


















Stolidoptera

The forewing apex is very produced, almost bulbous and is more toward mustard yellow compared to darker greenish-brown of rest of wing.
Tiny black cell spot.
Lines irregular, slightly diffuse but distinct.
Fw outer margin unique in both male and female.

Stolidoptera tachasara

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