First confirmed record of Amauta procera (Boisduval, [1875]) in Guatemala, with notes on its potential distribution, natural history, and morphology (Lepidoptera: Castniidae)

Background Amauta procera (Boisduval, [1875]) is a moth of the family Castniidae distributed in Central America and regarded as a banana pest ( Musa spp., Musaceae) in Costa Rica. The species was described from a single specimen putatively attributed to Guatemala but labelled as “Mexico”, and the only additional specimen bears the vague locality “Mexico”. As a result, the northern limit of the species’ distribution has remained uncertain, which we addressed by applying ecological niche modelling to estimate its potential distribution and refine its geographic limits. Results We expand the current knowledge of the distributional range of A. procera and provide new data on its morphology and natural history. We describe and illustrate the female genitalia for the first time and document part of the species’ life cycle based on larvae found on banana plants in Costa Rica. In addition, we model the potential distribution of A. procera using compiled occurrence records. We also report the first confirmed record of the species from Guatemala. Conclusions The available evidence does not support the occurrence of A. procera in Mexico and suggests that the Guatemalan records reported here represent the currently known northern limit of its distribution.