Xylophanes alvarezsierrai is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Sphingidae

Sphingidae

Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...

 family. It is known from western Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

.

The length of the forewings is about 28 mm. It is similar to Xylophanes tersa tersa

Xylophanes tersa

The Tersa Sphinx is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from the United States , through Mexico, the West Indies and Central America and into parts of South America...

but smaller, the forewing ground colour is dark brown, the hindwing median spots are orange-red and the lateral golden stripes on the abdomen have fewer dark rays. The forewing upperside ground colour is dark brown, obscuring many of the pattern elements. The spots of the median line of the hindwing upperside are less sharply defined and separated and orange-red in colour. The marginal band is dark brown.