Review of the Narrow-Banded Hawkmoth, Neogurelca montana (Rothschild & Jordan, 1915) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in China, with Morphological and Phylogenetic Analysis

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The hawkmoth genus Neogurelca Hogenes & Treadaway, 1993 (Sphingidae: Macroglossinae: Macroglossini), comprises seven species, four of which are found in Asia and the other three in Central America. The members of this group in China are still poorly known, especially their distributions and taxonomy. We performed an analysis based on a 658 bp region of the COI mitochondrial gene, covering three species and including two populations of N. montana from Yunnan and Beijing, to resolve their phylogenetic positions. A morphological analysis of both sexes of the four Asian species was also undertaken. The phylogenetic analysis revealed the Beijing population of N. montana as a well-supported clade that is distinct from but close to the Yunnan population, which is consistent with the morphological differences between them. We describe the Beijing population of N. montana as a new subspecies, Neogurelca montana taihangensis ssp. nov., based on our analysis. Additionally, we collected larvae of N. montana in Beijing and describe its life history and larval hosts and compare them with those of N. himachala. ABSTRACT: Neogurelca montana (Rothschild & Jordan, 1915) is a species of the genus Neogurelca Hogenes & Treadaway, 1993, that was previously known from Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet, China. Recently, however, this species was also found in Beijing and Hebei. These populations differ from those in southwest China in body colour and the shape of the yellow patches of the hindwing—a paler body colour and triangular patches in the former and darker body colour and fan-like patches in the latter. Wing morphology, male and female genitalia, and molecular evidence (DNA barcodes) were analysed for the different localities of this species and three other Neogurelca species—N. hyas, N. himachala, and N. masuriensis. Our molecular data support the Beijing population of montana as a valid subspecies, which we describe as N. montana taihangensis ssp. nov. Wing and genital morphology confirm the molecular conclusions. We also collected larvae of the new subspecies in the Beijing suburbs and describe its life history and larval hosts and compare them with those of N. himachala.