Id help please

[ButterflyWitch]

Good evening Dr. Seow Sir
I have keen interest in moths & I'm studying them in Tripura over the past few years. I found hawk moths are very interesting & some genus like Ambulyx, Acosmeryx, Macroglossum etc. each having similar looking species are rather difficult to identify. Therefore by means of this forum can you please provide me some guidance on how to identify similar looking species under the above genus....

Just for the starting I'm posting images of species under the genus Ambulyx.
Please help me with their identification providing keys if possible.

1.
27031

2.
27032

3.
27033

4.
27034

5.
27035

6.
27036

7.
27037

8.
27038

9.
27039

10.
27040

Thank you in advance....

[Psyche]

They are all Ambulyx substrigilis., a species widespread in the oriental tropics.
(See light forms at bottom of webpage.)
https://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/a_sub.htm
They are recognised by dark veins & vriegated shadings.
The lightly marked forms have often been confused with two other species found in Sundaland .
They are A. pryeri & clavata.
They are unlikely to have reach India though anything is possible.

In specimen 2, 3, & 9 the variegation is slight & the suggestion is often of these two species.
There are also much errors on the net.


The middle dark vein which runs to the costa , is slightly curve up & widen a little.

The other two species differ so.

A. pryveri. Dark middle vein run straight to costa without widening.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ambulyx_pryeri_(Sphingidae).jpg


In A. clavata: the middle dark vein is joined by an upward slanting dark line whch expand towards costa.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/9313577/large.jpg?1501073880
http://sphingidae.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/408

Other species of Ambulyx do not have the veins prominently dark.


Tl Seow: Cheers.

[ButterflyWitch]

Thank you so much sir