Review of the noctuid stemborer genus Sciomesa (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae : Apameini : Sesamiina) : taxonomy, phylogeny and ecology, with the description of 12 new species

2025

Article référencé dans le Web of Science WOS:001516457400001

Le Rü Bruno, Hévin N. M. C., Capdevielle Dulac Claire, Musyoka B. K., Conlong D., van den Berg J., Ndemah R., Le Gall Philippe, Nyamukondiwa C., Pallangyo B., Njaku M., Goftishu M., Assefa Y., Haile A., Chipapika G., Ong'amo G., Clamens A. L., Barbut J., Kergoat G. J.

Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 2025, 61 (3), p. 179-232 ISSN 0037-9271

The genus Sciomesa Tams & Bowden (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae: Apameini: Sesamiina) is a predominantly Afrotropical group of stemborer moths whose convoluted taxonomic history needs to be clarified. In this study, a comprehensive examination of specimens in collections was carried out in a complementary manner with molecular analyses, resulting in the following changes: (i) 12 new Sciomesa species are described: S. lalokeli n. sp. and S. metiminko n. sp. from Ethiopia; S. elgonensis n. sp., S. nigra n. sp. and S. simillima n. sp. from Kenya; S. umvoti n. sp. from South Africa; S. iboya n. sp., S. lilomwi n. sp., S. makete n. sp., S. njombe n. sp. and S. tanganyika n. sp. from Tanzania; S. kalinzu n. sp. from Uganda; (ii) four species are reinstated as valid species: three of them, S. constantini Laporte stat. rev., S. etchecopari Laporte stat. rev. and S. mirifica Laporte stat. rev., were previously synonymized with S. mesophaea (Hampson) while S. congitae (Laporte) stat. rev. was previously synonymized with S. boulardi (Laporte); (iii) two species are synonymized: S. minuscula (Laporte) n. syn., which was previously synonymized with S. boulardi, is a synonym of S. congitae, and S. franciscae Laporte n. syn. is a synonym of S. mesophaea; (iv) one species, Sesamia punctipennis Kr & uuml;ger stat. rev., which was transferred to the Sciomesa genus, is removed from the genus Sciomesa and temporarily reinstated to the genus Sesamia Guen & eacute;e pending a new combination. A supplemental description for 12 previously described species is also provided: S. boulardi, S. bua Moyal et al., S. constantini, S. etchecopari, S. excelsa (Laporte), S. gnosia Moyal et al., S. mesophaea, S. congitae, S. mirifica, S. renibifida Berio, S. scotochroa (Hampson) and S. venata Fletcher. Host-plant records are provided for 10 Sciomesa species, confirming a pattern of phylogenetic niche conservatism on Poales plants in the Cyperaceae family. Phylogenetic and molecular species delimitation analyses were carried out on a multimarker (four mitochondrial and two nuclear genes) molecular dataset encompassing 63 Sciomesa specimens, 24 species belonging to other genera of Sesamiina, and one representative of the sister subtribe Apameina. This sampling also includes the three Malagasy species (S. betschi Viette, S. janthina Viette and S. oberthueri Viette) whose status is debated. The resulting phylogenetic framework provides the most complete picture of the evolutionary relationships of the genus Sciomesa, and results of topological tests provide further support for removing S. betschi and S. janthina from the genus Sciomesa pending new combinations. The results of molecular species delimitation analyses also overwhelmingly support the species status of the Sciomesa species sampled, even for S. mesophaea, a species with a very wide range in the Afrotropics. These analyses also reveal the existence of up to three potential new species, whose status cannot be ascertained because the sequenced individuals were either extracted at a larval stage or correspond to specimens whose genitalia were not studied when their legs were collected.

Sciences du monde végétal [076] ; Sciences du monde animal [080]

ETHIOPIE ; KENYA ; OUGANDA ; AFRIQUE DU SUD ; CAMEROUN ; ZAMBIE ; MADAGASCAR ; BOTSWANA ; ERITRA ; TANZANIE ; ZAMBIE ; RWANDA

Fonds IRD [F B010094281]

fdi:010094281