DNA barcodes from over-a-century-old type specimens shed light on the taxonomy of a group of rare butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Calinaginae).

We analyzed COI barcode sequences from 138 over-a-century old specimens of Calinaga including 36 name-bearing type specimens stored at the Natural History Museum London. These new data, combined with previously available RPS5 sequences, divide the Calinaga samples into four well-supported mitochondrial lineages that together with a novel wing-pattern analysis, support the recognition of six species (lhatso, buddha, brahma, aborica, formosana and davidis), with all other names subsumed either as subspecies or synonyms. One new taxon is described, Calinaga aborica naima Vane-Wright, ssp.

A review of the genera Amauta Houlbert, 1918 and Divana J.Y. Miller, 1982 (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) with description of a new genus.

The genera Amauta Houlbert, 1918 and Divana J.Y. Miller, 1982 are revised, with discussion of diagnostic features of males and females of all taxa.

Resolving two centuries of mistaken identity: Reinterpretation of Papilio marcus Fabricius, 1787 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Hesperiidae).

Here, we untangle an oversight surrounding the application of the name Papilio marcus Fabricius, 1787 (Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae), currently in Troyus Warren & Turland, 2012, which has eluded taxonomists for nearly two centuries. First, we note that P. marcus is a junior primary homonym of Papilio marcus Schaller, 1785, a species currently in Morpho Fabricius, 1807 (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae).

Insect taxonomy can be difficult: a noctuid moth (Agaristinae: ) and a geometrid moth (Sterrhinae: ) combined into a cryptic species complex in eastern Africa (Lepidoptera).

The systematic position of a large and strikingly coloured reddish-black moth, Herbulot, 2003 (Geometridae: Sterrhinae) from Tanzania, has remained questionable since its description. Here we present molecular and morphological evidence showing that only superficially resembles true Warren, 1894 (the relative name currently considered a junior synonym of Hübner, 1820), which are unpalatable diurnal moths superficially resembling butterflies, and that it is misplaced in the family Geometridae. We transfer it to Noctuidae: Agaristinae, and combine it with the genus Jordan, 1926, from Tanzania, as (Herbulot, 2003) .

A novel reference dated phylogeny for the genus Spodoptera Guenée (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae): new insights into the evolution of a pest-rich genus.

The noctuid genus Spodoptera currently consists of 31 species with varied host plant breadths, ranging from monophagous and oligophagous non-pest species to polyphagous pests of economic importance. Several of these pest species have become major invaders, colonizing multiple continents outside their native range. Such is the case of the infamous fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.

Bryophila perloides Guenée, 1852 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Bryophilinae), an overlooked member of the European Noctuidae fauna, with upgrading of Bryopsis Boursin, 1970 to generic level (Taxonomic studies on the western Palaearctic Bryophilinae, No. 1).

The generic level segregation of the formerly unified taxa Nyctobrya Boursin, 1957 and Bryopsis Boursin, 1970 is discussed; the second one is reinstated as a genus, on the basis of apomorphic features in the male genitalia (Bryopsis stat. rev.).

Synopsis of fruit-piercing moths of the genus (Lepidoptera, Erebidae) from Colombia.

In order to provide information about the diversity and distribution of species in Colombia, 261 specimens deposited in entomological collections were examined and identified. We found seven of the eight species of recorded in the Neotropics: , , , and , all being recorded for the first time from the country. We provide a list of the species, comments on the biology and distribution data, illustrations of the adults, and keys for species identification.

Advantages of an easy-to-use DNA extraction method for minimal-destructive analysis of collection specimens.

Here we present and justify an approach for minimal-destructive DNA extraction from historic insect specimens for next generation sequencing applications. An increasing number of studies use insects from museum collections for biodiversity research. However, the availability of specimens for molecular analyses has been limited by the degraded nature of the DNA gained from century-old museum material and the consumptive nature of most DNA extraction procedures.

Taxonomy of the rivorum species-group of Leucania Ochsenheimer, 1816 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The rivorum species-group of the genus Leucania (Noctuidae: Noctuinae: Leucaniini) is circumscribed and taxonomically revised, with the inclusion of three species. New taxonomic hypotheses were achieved through the morphological analysis of about 250 specimens allied to the type material of L. rivorum Guenée, 1852; L.

Nomenclatural note on Alena Gyulai, Saldaitis amp; Zilli, 2019 nec Navás, 1916.

In the article by Gyulai et al. (2019) a primary homonymy was inadvertently established, that is amended herein as: Aliona nom. nov.

, a new genus from South America with description of a new species from Peru (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae).

is described to accommodate three South American species, two previously placed in Walker, 1858, namely (Schaus, 1904), and (Schaus, 1914), ; and one, , newly described from Peru. Although the larval biology is unknown, these species share several features that suggest their placement in Eriopinae and, as a consequence, a potential association with ferns (Pteridophyta) as larval host plants.

Unveiling one of the rarest 'butterflies' ever (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae, Noctuidae).

Many insect species named by the Danish entomologist J.C. Fabricius remain enigmatic due to loss of the original type specimens, sketchy descriptions and lack of illustrations, but even some well-illustrated taxa remain unrecognized.

A new genus and species of Apameini (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from Sichuan (China).

A new genus of Apameini (Noctuidae) from Western Sichuan, China, Alena gen. n. with a single species (Alena alena sp.

A total evidence phylogeny for the processionary moths of the genus Thaumetopoea (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae: Thaumetopoeinae).

Processionary moths belong to a group of about 100 species well known for their social behaviour and their urticating systems. The genus Thaumetopoea s.l.

Haplopacha (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) reviewed: four new species, first descriptions of the genitalia of both sexes, and unique alar scale organs.

The collection of five specimens of Haplopacha at Ndumo Nature Reserve in South Africa highlights unknown species diversity in the monotypic genus. A total of four new species; H. riftensis sp.

Italian natural history museums on the verge of collapse?

The Italian natural history museums are facing a critical situation, due to the progressive loss of scientific relevance, decreasing economic investments, and scarcity of personnel. This is extremely alarming, especially for ensuring the long-term preservation of the precious collections they host. Moreover, a commitment in fieldwork to increase scientific collections and concurrent taxonomic research are rarely considered priorities, while most of the activities are addressed to public events with political payoffs, such as exhibits, didactic meetings, expositions, and talks.