The genus Eois Hübner (Geometridae: Larentiinae) comprises 254 valid species, 217 of which were described from the Neotropics and 31 of those having their type locality in Brazil. Since this species rich genus has never been revised, and may potentially include many cryptic undescribed species, Eois embodies a problematic taxonomic scenario. The actual diversity of Eois is greatly underestimated and the Brazilian fauna is poorly known, both because of inadequate sampling and because of the potential existence of cryptic species "hidden" within some nominal taxa. In this study we investigated the diversity within a cryptic species complexes associated to the E. pallidicosta and E. odatis clades. We describe three new species Eois oya Moraes & Montebello sp. nov., Eois ewa Moraes & Stanton sp. nov., and Eois oxum Moraes & Freitas sp. nov., in an integrative taxonomy approach, using morphology, host plant use and species delimitation tools.
Morphological description of insects has been used as a basis for research in several research fields, as forensic entomology, science that uses information on the biology and ecology of different species to solve crimes. The post mortem interval considering the insect development can often be estimated when the literature records its life cycle, morphological description, and other information of extreme importance to distinguish the species in question. Therefore, it is crucial to obtain detailed descriptions of species of forensic importance that allow them to be identified.
Geometridae representa uma das mais diversas famílias de Lepidoptera com mais de 25.000 espécies descritas. Tal diversidade representa um desafio aos pesquisadores, já que diversos grupos arrolados em Geometridae estão inseridos em um cenário taxonômico ainda bastante problemático. Diversos gêneros contam com um grande número de espécies e carecem de especialistas para revisões taxonômicas e descrições de novos táxons¹. Dentre esses gêneros, Eois Hübner se destaca por apresentar 254 espécies válidas e um número indeterminado de espécies crípticas. Entre as espécies inseridas no gênero, Eois pallidicosta tem se mostrado um táxon potencialmente interessante por apresentar padrões polimórficos para o padrão alar. Através de novas coletas e estudos de taxonomia integrativa, temos evidências de que Eois pallidicosta na verdade compreende um complexo de espécies crípticas.
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