Two new species of Western Australian Abantiades Herrich-Schffer (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) and a description of the female of Abantiades paradoxa (Tindale).

Two new species, Abantiades concordia sp. nov. and Abantiades malleus sp. nov., are described from Australia. Both species were collected in the Eastern Goldfields subregion of the Coolgardie bioregion in Western Australia. Abantiades concordia sp. nov. is shown to be closely related to A. paradoxa (Tindale, 1932) by sequence similarity of the mtDNA (COI) gene. The female of A. paradoxa is also described here for the first time. Abantiades paradoxa and the new species A. concordia sp. nov. are morphologically similar with respect to the structure of their genitalia, sternite VIII, wing patterning and their antennae with bi-forked rami. Abantiades malleus sp. nov. is quite distinct by sequence similarity of the mtDNA (COI) gene, but related in a clade with A. marcidus Tindale,1932, A. albofasciatus (Swinhoe, 1892), and A. furva (Tindale,1932), the latter species once placed in the synonymised Bordaia Tindale, 1932. Discussion of similar species once grouped under the genus Bordaia and under the genus Trictena Meyrick, 1890 (both junior synonyms of Abantiades Herrich-Schffer, 1855) is also included.

Two new endemic species of emAbantiades/em Herrich-Schäffer (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) from Kangaroo Island, Australia.

Abantiades penneshawensis Moore Beaver sp. nov. and Abantiades rubrus Moore Beaver sp. nov. are described as new. Both species are endemic to Kangaroo Island, and although both are related to species that occur on the Australian mainland and other islands, they are distinguished from those sister and phenotypically similar species by morphology and mtDNA (COI) barcodes. These two new species raise the number of Abantiades species on Kangaroo Island to six, three being endemic, and 45 species in the genus for the whole of Australia. There are now 13 species of Hepialidae (one undescribed) known from Kangaroo Island and we discuss the potential effects of recent catastrophic fire on some distributions.

Revision of the genus Metura (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) with description of two new species.

The genus Metura Walker, 1855 is revised, with all species figured, diagnosed, and redescribed. Two new species are described from Australia: Metura phyllosacca sp. n. from south eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales, and M. falcata sp. n. from Lord Howe Island. The species Oiketicus aristocosma Lower, 1908 is here recognised as Metura aristocosma (Lower, 1908) comb. n. The mature larval bags, diagnostic by way of their structure, are figured for all species. A key is provided for the adult males and larval bags of this genus. A brief discussion is included, outlining potential research directions.

Four new species of Splendid Ghost Moths (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae: Aenetus) from Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Four new Aenetus Herrich-Schäffer species are described from northern Australasia; Aenetus simonseni sp. nov. from the top-end of the Northern Territory, Australia, A. maiasinus sp. nov. from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, A. trigonogrammus sp. nov. from south-eastern Queensland, Australia, and A. albadamanteum sp. nov. from eastern Papua New Guinea. Aenetus simonseni sp. nov. and A. maiasinus sp. nov. appear to belong to the tegulatus-group of species (sensu Grehan et al. 2018), A. trigonogrammus sp. nov. is part of the splendens-group of species (sensu Simonsen 2018), while A. albadamanteum sp. nov. shares morphological similarities with A. hampsoni (Joicey Noakes, 1914), A. crameri Viette, 1956, and A. toxopeusi Viette, 1956, from New Guinea, and A. cohici Viette, 1961 from New Caledonia. The four new species are illustrated and compared with superficially similar species in morphology and, for two species, molecular (mtDNA COI gene) sequences.

Description of two new Australian species of Abantiades Herrich-Schäffer (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) and females of two further species with notes on their biogeography.

Abantiades cephalocorvus sp. nov. and Abantiades tembyi sp. nov. are described, along with the previously undescribed females of A. macropusinsulariae Simonsen, 2018 and A. pallida Simonsen, 2018. All of these species belong to a triforked Abantiades Herrich-Schäffer clade that is loosely centred around the Nullarbor and other arid regions of Australia. We explore DNA barcodes (mtDNA COI gene) from these and other Abantiades and discuss their significance for species recognition. The species distributions are entirely or largely allopatric and we discuss their origins from a widespread common ancestor that was likely distributed over inland and coastal regions in the mid- to late-Mesozoic before the onset of desertification. Notes on new distributional data for all of the known species in this clade are included.

Four new tri-forked species of the Australian genus Abantiades Herrich-Schäffer (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) from the "dark obscura clade".

A distinct group of Abantiades Herrich-Schäffer species is here confirmed as a valid clade that we refer to as the "dark obscura clade" supported by morphological and mtDNA evidence. The clade is the sister group of A. obscura Simonsen of north-western Australia and comprises four new species: Abantiades centralia sp. nov., A. kayi sp. nov., A. zonatriticum sp. nov., and A. hutchinsoni sp. nov. These species together with A. obscura, are reciprocally allopatric and have a combined distribution spanning much of the western half of Australia and this distribution is consistent with their each differentiating locally from a widespread ancestor. The four new species raise the diversity of Abantiades to 42 species. [Zoobank urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C05458D1-0D34-4432-8EC4-D031ED6B7BEF].

Three new ghost moths of the genus Oxycanus Walker, 1856 from Australia (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae).

Three new species of ghost moth, Oxycanus ephemerous sp. nov., O. flavoplumosus sp. nov., and O. petalous sp. nov. are described from South Australia, New South Wales, and south-west Western Australia, respectively. We illustrate these species and compare morphological and molecular (mtDNA COI gene) characters with similar Oxycanus Walker, 1856 species from Australia. Comparative images of Oxycanus subvaria (Walker, 1856), O. byrsa (Pfitzner, 1933), and O. determinata (Walker, 1856) are figured. The type material of the three new species are held in the Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra, the Western Australian Museum, Perth, and in the South Australian Museum, Adelaide. The type specimens of Oxycanus hildae Tindale, 1964 syn. n. were also examined and the taxon is here considered synonymous with O. subvaria. Concerns are raised about the conservation status of all three new species due to few or localised distribution records.