The three sphinx moth genera, Arctonotus, Euproserpinus, and Proserpinus are thought to represent a monophyletic clade. All but one species in the group is restricted to North America, but systematic relationships within and among the three genera have not been examined. This group also holds one of the two federally listed endangered moth species in the United States. I present the first molecular phylogeny for the three genera, based on portions of both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence. Unexpected results of this study have implications for both the evolution and conservation of taxa in the Arctonotus, Euproserpinus, and Proserpinus clade.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Sphingidae Proserpinus
Species 2: Lepidoptera Sphingidae Arctonotus
Species 3: Lepidoptera Sphingidae Euproserpinus (Kern Primrose Sphinx)
Keywords: Systematics, conservation
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