Taxonomic review of the genus Paratalanta Meyrick, 1890 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Pyraustinae) from China, with descriptions of two new species

Abstract

This study deals with the taxonomy of seven species and subspecies of the genus Paratalanta Meyrick in China. Among them, P. furcata sp. nov. and P. annulata sp. nov. are described as new. The male of P. stachialis Toll & Wojtusiak, 1957 is described for the first time. Images of adults and illustrations of both male and female genitalia are provided, along with a key to all the known Chinese species and a map showing their distribution.

Systematics of the new genus Spinosuncus Chen, Zhang & Li with descriptions of four new species (Lepidoptera, Crambidae, Pyraustinae)

“…According to the tree topology (Figure 1 ), Paratalanta is not so closely related to Spinosuncus , and as already discussed by Zhang et al (2014) , species of Spinosuncus share no synapomorphy with Paratalanta . The relationship between Pseudopagyda + Aglaops and Spinosuncus is well supported ( PP = 1.00, BS = 77), but the clade Pseudopagyda + Aglaops is only weakly supported ( PP = 0.81, BS = 50).…”

“… Microstega was synonymized with Paratalanta Meyrick, 1890 by Kirpichnikova (1986) and Maes (1994) based on “the characteristic sclerotized hook (spicula-shaped sella) on the valvae of the male genitalia”. This taxonomic decision is commonly accepted, but Zhang et al (2014) excluded the above five species from Paratalanta because they share no generic synapomorphies with Paratalanta . Almost at the same time, Slamka (2013) proposed genus Pseudopagyda for M. homoculorum .…”

Kansastega , nom. nov., a replacement name for Microstega Hooks, preoccupied by Meyrick

“…Meyrick (1890) already used the name Microstega for a genus of modern crambid moths (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from Eurasia, with the type species Microstega pandalis, originally described by Hübner (1825) as Epicorsia pandalis. Though the name Microstega Meyrick is no longer in use, considered a subjective synonym of Paratalanta (Maes, 1994;Zhang et al, 2013), its use in multiple twentieth-century publications (e.g., Bänziger, 1995;Kim & Lee, 1986;Momoi, 1963) prevent us from suppressing Microstega Meyrick as a nomen oblitum under Article 23.9 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999).…”