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The genus Gnopharmia Staudinger, 1892 is revised, based on more than 2000 specimens from the entire area ofdistribution and study of type material of all described taxa, as far asmap available. Seven species and three subspeciesare confirmed as valid for the genus. All important morphological characters have been studied and compared, includingmale and female genitalia. In addition, preliminary results of DNA-Barcoding were used to reassess our taxonomicdecisions, based on morphological studies. Type specimens and their labels are illustrated and additional specimens,demonstrating the variability of certain species, are also figured. Male genitalia of all valid species are figured and SEMphotos of the aedeagus are illustrated. Further important structures, the so-called ‘octavals’ on the male pre-genitalabdomen, are also figured. Female genitalia revealed a high similarity between species, combined with a considerablevariability, and were unsuitable for characterisation of species. Female genitalia of three species are figured to exemplifythis situation. As a result of the morphological and genetic studies, 12 out of the 21 described species and subspecies aresynonymised or transferred to the closely related genus Neognopharmia Wehrli, 1953. In addition, G. colchidariacocandaria (Erschoff, 1874) is revived as a valid species, G. sinesefida Wehrli, 1941 is downgraded to a subspecies of G.colchidaria Lederer, 1870. Five new records for the fauna of the following countries are presented: G. colchidariaobjectaria: new for Pakistan; G. irakensis: new for Turkey and Pakistan; G. kasrunensis: new for Oman and G. sarobiana: new for Pakistan. Distribution maps and an identification key are given for all species.

Biodiversity hotspots have been in the mainstream of studies and debates regarding conservation and biodiversity. Results, however, are skewed towards vertebrates and the tropics, and cannot simply be generalized to invertebrates and temperate biodiversity hotspot regions. In this first study of its kind, we explored the spatial patterns of Larentiinae moth (except genus Eupithecia Curtis, 1825) species richness and beta diversity in two neighbouring temperate biodiversity hotspots, the Caucasus and the Irano-Anatolian biodiversity hotspots, Middle Palearctic. We explored how spatial gradients contribute to the formation of moth species richness in these two biodiversity hotspots by disentangling beta diversity patterns to spatial turnover and nestedness components. Larentiinae moths showed a positive association with latitude and a unimodal relationship with elevation. The latitudinal gradient contributed more than the elevational gradient in formation of biodiversity. Both hotspots showed similar patterns of beta diversity partitioning, demonstrating a large contribution of spatial turnover to biodiversity formation. Constant high values of spatial turnover across 17°of latitudinal gradient may indicate that diversity has been formed by a consistent mechanism of horizontal species level diversification of larentine moths throughout mountains.

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We tested the hypothesis of species taxonomy in the genus Gnopharmia (Macariini, Ennominae) that was recently established in a review based on discrete morphological characters. For this objective we integrated both DNA‐based and morphometric approaches in order to infer species boundaries. A 658‐bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) (DNA barcode) was analysed from populations of five species distributed throughout the Middle East to assess their consistency with traditionally defined morphospecies. Signals in the morphological variation of the aedeagus of all relevant populations were evaluated using geometric landmarks. Consistent groupings compatible with the current taxonomic classification were found with both approaches. The results strongly support the distinction of seven closely related species. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London