Diversity, distribution patterns and preliminary conservation assessment of the Paraguayan hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)

Abstract: Hawkmoths (Sphingidae) are conspicuous, large Lepidopterans that play a vital role in terrestrial ecosystems both as pollinators and as ecological indicators of biodiversity. Notwithstanding, there has to date been no attempt to assess the conservation status of these species in the Neotropics. This is due in large part to incomplete datasets and a lack of real long-term monitoring data that allows such assessments to be performed applying IUCN criteria. As with most regions in the Neotropics, Sphingid distributional data in Paraguay is limited to presence—absence data, and few species are represented by sufficient museum series to be able to make inferences about their phenology. However, the existing data is sufficient to infer abundance and ecoregion association and does provide a reliable picture of distribution in the country. Given their importance in ecosystem health monitoring, an attempt is made at a preliminary conservation assessment using a simple system encompassing the key criteria for IUCN assessment, but applicable to the data available. Implications for conservation: The role of insects in ecological systems is often ignored by conservation planners, who base their decisions heavily on vertebrate and habitat-level conservation assessments. However, hawkmoths play key roles in these systems both as pollinators and prey items, and monitoring of their populations can provide important data regards ecosystem health. It is argued that, whilst the methodology proposed here is far from a fool-proof approach, the benefits of attempting a preliminary base-line assessment such as this outweigh the drawbacks of not having more complete data that is unlikely to become imminently available.