Three new species of Cautethia Grote (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from the Lucayan Archipelago and keys to West Indies species

Abstract

Five species of Cautethia Grote (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) occur in the Lucayan (Bahamas) Archipelago, three of which are new to science. Cautethia simoni Miller, Matthews, and Gott, new species, is described and illustrated from Mayaguana Island, Bahamas, and Providenciales and Grand Turk of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Cautethia gossi Miller, Matthews, and Gott, new species, is described and illustrated from Great Inagua, Bahamas. Cautethia geraceorum Miller, Matthews, and Gott, new species, is described from San Salvador Island. Diagnoses are provided and new island records are reported for the two previously described Bahamas species, Cautethia grotei Edwards and Cautethia exuma McCabe. A taxonomic key based primarily on genitalia is provided for males and known females of the ten described species occurring in the West Indies. COI barcodes were obtained from representative Bahamas specimens and analyzed along with existing barcodes.