Two new genera and species of Synanthedonini from the Nimba Mountains, Liberia, West Africa (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae).

In this study, two remarkable species and genera of African Synanthedonini are described from the Nimba Mountains, Liberia: Nimbamina blei gen. sp. nov., maybe related to Tipulamima Holland, 1893, and Chlorosphecia bele gen. sp. nov., related to the genera Lepidopoda Hampson, 1900, Macrotarsipodes Le Cerf, 1916 and Macrotarsipus Hampson, [1893]. These species represent the third report of Sesiidae from Liberia. Exceptionally remarkable is Nimbamina blei gen. sp. nov., that has extremely long and slender body and legs and is currently the only known member of the family whose antennae are covered with extremely long scales on the dorsal surface.

Taxonomic changes and review of the genera Tipulamima Holland, 1893 and Macrotarsipodes Le Cerf, 1916 stat. rev. (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Sesiinae).

In this study, two genera of Afrotropical Sesiidae, Tipulamima Holland, 1893 and Macrotarsipodes Le Cerf, 1916 stat. rev., are redefined and redescribed, the latter being resurrected from synonymy with the former as a valid genus. Both genera are confirmed to belong to the tribe Synanthedonini. The genera closest to Tipulamima are unknown. Macrotarsipodes is related to Macrotarsipus Hampson, [1893] from Southeast Asia and Lepidopoda Hampson, 1900 from Africa and Southeast Asia. The latter genus as well as Pedalonina are transferred to Synanthedonini. Uranothyris Meyrick, 1933 syn. nov. is regarded as a subjective junior synonym of Tipulamima. Checklists of the species assigned to Tipulamima and Macrotarsipodes are provided. One new species, Tipulamima hesperia sp. nov., from Guinea and Ghana and the previously unknown male of T. pterotarsa (Meyrick, 1933) comb. nov. (Uranothyris) are described and depicted. The following new combinations are introduced: Macrotarsipodes leptosceles (Bradley, 1968) comb. nov. (Synanthedon), M. pedunculata (Hampson, 1910) comb. nov. (Ichneumenoptera), M. sexualis (Hampson, 1910) comb. nov. (Macrotarsipus), M. tricinctus Le Cerf, 1916 comb. rev., Synanthedon malimba (Beutenmller, 1899) comb. nov. (Sesia), Malgassesia ivondro (Viette, 1955) comb. nov. (Tipulamima), M. opalimargo (Le Cerf, 1913) comb. nov. (Sesia), Lepidopoda aericincta (Meyrick, 1928) comb. nov. (Aegeria), L. cyanospira (Meyrick, 1928) comb. nov. (Aegeria), L. dasysceles (Bradley, 1968) comb. nov. (Synanthedon), L. erythromma (Hampson, 1919) comb. nov. (Synanthedon), L. festiva (Beutenmller, 1899) comb. nov. (Sesia), L. flavipalpis Hampson, 1910 comb. rev., L. nuba (Beutenmller, 1899) comb. nov. (Sesia), L. rubripicta (Hampson, 1919) comb. nov. (Synanthedon), L. waterloti (Le Cerf, 1913) comb. nov. stat. nov. (Macrotarsipodes), Episannina sylphina (Hampson, 1919) comb. nov. (Lepidopoda) (Synanthedonini), Chamanthedon auronitens (Le Cerf, 1913) comb. nov. (Sesia), Pyranthrene hypocalla (Le Cerf, 1937) comb. nov. (Tipulamima), P. nigriceps (Hampson, 1919) comb. nov. (Tipulamima) (Osminiini). Junior subjective synonyms are: Aegeria rubripalpis Meyrick, 1932 syn. nov. of L. rubripicta, Aegeria mercatrix Meyrick, 1931 syn. nov. of L. aericincta and Aegeria pyrostoma Meyrick, 1927 syn. rev. of L. erythromma. Lectotypes of Tipulamima haugi (Le Cerf, 1917), T. flammipes (Hampson, 1910) and Macrotarsipodes sexualis comb. nov. are designated. Clerodendrum paniculatum L. (Lamiaceae) is reported as a host plant of Tipulamima for the first time. The larvae of three species of Macrotarsipodes and several species of Lepidopoda are known to be pests of Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. (Convolvulaceae).

A molecular phylogeny and revision of the genus Pyropteron Newman, 1832 (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae) reveals unexpected diversity and frequent hostplant switch as a driver of speciation.

We here revise the genus Pyropteron Newman, 1832 using molecular and morphological analyses. Our data support the monophyly of Pyropteron with Synansphecia Capușe, 1973 (syn. rev.) being its junior subjective synonym. Four taxa are described as new to science, Pyropteron minianiformis xerxes Bartsch, Pühringer, Lingenhöle Kallies ssp. nov., Pyropteron hellenicum Bartsch, Pühringer, Lingenhöle Kallies sp. nov., Pyropteron jordanicum Bartsch, Pühringer, Lingenhöle Kallies sp. nov. and Pyropteron leucomelaena blaesii Bartsch, Pühringer, Lingenhöle Kallies ssp. nov., and 4 species are raised to species rank, Pyropteron nigrobarbata (Rebel, 1916) stat. nov., Pyropteron icteropus (Zeller, 1847) stat. rev., Pyropteron euglossaeformis (Lucas, 1849) stat. rev. and Pyropteron erodiiphaga (Dumont, 1922) stat. rev. To stabilize the taxonomy, we designate neotypes for Pyropteron euglossaeformis stat. rev. and Pyropteron ceriaeformis (Lucas, 1849). Pyropteron pipiziformis (Lederer, 1855) comb. nov., is combined with Pyropteron for the first time. The identity of Pyropteron atlantis (Schwingenschuss, 1935), previously confused with Pyropteron borreyi (Le Cerf, 1922) is fixed. We treat Pyropteron muscaeformis lusohispanica Lastuvka Lastuvka, 2007 syn. nov. as a synonym of Pyropteron koschwitzi (Spatenka, 1992), Pyropteron minianiformis aphrodite Bartsch, 2004 syn. nov. as a synonym of Pyropteron minianiformis destituta (Staudinger, 1894), Pyropteron muscaeformis occidentalis Joannis, 1908 syn. nov. as a synonym of Pyropteron muscaeformis (Esper, 1783), and Sesia lecerfi Oberthür, 1909 syn. nov. is considered a synonym of Bembecia ichneumoniformis ([Denis Schiffermüller], 1775). Finally, we discuss a model whereby frequent switches in hostplant usage drive rapid speciation in the genus Pyropteron.

Further information on Lolibaia Gorbunov Gurko, 2017 (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Synanthedonini) with description of three new species from tropical Africa.

The knowledge of the clearwing moth genus Lolibaia Gorbunov Gurko, 2017, recently described from South Sudan and until now known only from a single, damaged specimen, is extended by three new species from different parts of Africa including the as yet unknown female of the genus. L. jurateae sp. nov. is based on a single male from Kakamega Forest, Kenya; L. triangularis sp. nov. is based on six males from different localities in north-western Zambia, and L. polythyris sp. nov. is described from two females from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces, South Africa.

A new species of Conopsia Strand, 1913 (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Tinthiinae) from West Africa.

A new species of Sesiidae, discovered during a Lepidoptera survey in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea (West Africa) is described as Conopsia puehringeri sp. nov. The new species is compared to its potential sister species C. bicolor (Le Cerf, 1917), in sense of external morphology and genitalia structure. Male specimens and genitalia of both studied species are depicted.

Taxonomic changes in Synanthedonini from Madagascar, with description of two new genera and species (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae).

A checklist of the Synanthedonini of Madagascar is presented. The following taxonomic changes are suggested: Malgassesia pauliani Viette, 1955 syn. nov. is a junior synonym of Rodolphia hombergi Le Cerf, 1911a; Malgassesia biedermanni Viette, 1982 syn. nov. is a junior synonym of Malgassesia rufescens Le Cerf, 1922; Epitarsipus Le Cerf, 1922 stat. rev. is resurrected from the synonymy with Malgassesia Le Cerf, 1922, the earlier consisting of the single species E. rufithorax Le Cerf, 1922 comb. rev. The taxonomic position of three species, which were originally described in Chamaesphecia Spuler, 1910 and later excluded from this genus as "incertae sedis", remains unclear. These species are here transferred to Malgassesia: M. andrianony Viette, 1982 comb. nov.; M. lemur Le Cerf, 1957 comb. nov.; and M. ferdinandi nom. nov., a replacement name for Ch. seyrigi Le Cerf, 1957. Two new species and genera of Synanthedonini, Cinctosesia polistiformis and Nesosphecia mystica gen. nov. et sp. nov., are described from a submontane rainforest in the vicinity of Andasibe in the East of Madagascar.

Revision of Gymnosophistis Meyrick, 1934 (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) from East Africa with description of a new species.

In this study, a revision and redescription of Gymnosophistis Meyrick, 1934 is provided. The type species, G. thyrsodoxa Meyrick, 1934, and a new species, G. staudei sp. nov., occur in Kenya. Females and biology of both species are unknown. Gymnosophistis is placed in Sesiini for the first time, with Alonina Walker, 1856 being most likely the sister group. A lectotype of G. thyrsodoxa is designated.

New taxa of southern African Sesiini (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae).

Two new genera of Sesiini from southern Africa, each comprising only a single species are described and figured: Microsesia nana, new gen., new sp. (holotype in TMPS) and Coccophila, new gen., with Coccophila pythes (Druce, 1899), new comb. (holotype in BMNH). Bionomical data for Coccophila pythes are given for the first time.

Revisionary checklist of the Southern African Sesiini (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) with description of new species.

A revisionary checklist of the Sesiini of southern Africa is presented. All known genera of the region and their type species are redescribed. The following genera are placed in Sesiini for the first time: Alonina Walker, 1856; Anaudia Wallengren, 1863; Austrosetia Felder & Felder, 1874; Megalosphecia Le Cerf, 1916 and Vespanthedon Le Cerf, 1917. The genera Cicinnoscelis Holland, 1893 rev. stat. (from synonymy with Alonina Walker, 1856) and Felderiola Naumann, 1971 rev. stat. (from synonymy with Monopetalotaxis Wallengren, 1859) are resurrected from synonymy and included in Sesiini. One new genus, Hagnogyna new gen., and seven new species, Cicinnoscelis flavipes new sp., C. krooni new sp., Alonina rufa new sp., A. fusca new sp., Anaudia thyranthrena new sp., Felderiola karooensis new sp. and F. xanthogaster new sp., are described. The following new combinations are introduced: Cicinnoscelis longipes Holland, 1893 rev. comb., Alonina pyrethra (Hampson, 1919) new comb., A. pyrocraspis (Hampson, 1910) new comb., A. luteopunctata (Freina, 2011) new comb., Felderiola candescens (Felder & Felder, 1874) rev. comb., Hagnogyna sanguicosta (Hampson, 1919) new comb., H. bartschi (Freina, 2011) new comb. and Vespanthedon chalciphora (Hampson, 1919) new comb. Alonina difformis Hampson, 1919 new syn. is considered a subjective junior synonym of A. rygchiiformis Walker, 1856. A lectotype is designated for Austrosetia semirufa Felder & Felder, 1874 and the previously unknown males of this species and of Anaudia felderi Wallengren, 1863 are described. Bionomical data for some of the species discussed are given for the first time.