[Entomology • 2026] Covellana niomalan, Sosxetra mamanina & S. thutakanay • Revision of the Comose Flame Moths of the Genus Sosxetra Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Dyopsinae), with Descriptions of A New Genus and Three New Species

 [16, 17, 27] Covellana niomalan Martinez, Homziak, Plotkin & Castillo-Argaez gen. et sp. nov.; 

[5, 6, 26] Sosxetra grata Walker, 1862; 

[9, 10] Sosxetra mamanina Martinez, Homziak, & Castillo-Argaez, sp. nov. 

[11, 12] S. thutakanay Martinez, Homziak, & Castillo-Argaez, sp. nov.

in Martinez, Homziak, Pierson, Campo, Plotkin et Castillo-Argaez, 2026. 

DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.138260

Abstract

As part of our Neotropical Dyopsinae Project, a revision of the Neotropical genus Sosxetra Walker is proposed. Morphological and molecular evidence challenge its previous monotypic classification. The genus is redescribed and a neotype is designated for Sosxetra grata Walker, previously considered the only species in the genus. Two new species are described: Sosxetra mamanina Martinez, Homziak, & Castillo-Argaez, sp. nov. and Sosxetra thutakanay Martinez, Homziak, & Castillo-Argaez, sp. nov. Finally, Covellana Martinez, Homziak, Plotkin & Castillo-Argaez, gen. nov., is established based on Covellana niomalan Martinez, Homziak, Plotkin & Castillo-Argaez, sp. nov., previously misidentified as Sosxetra grata.

Key words: Barcoding, cryptic species, Lepidoptera, morphology, neotropics, systematics, taxonomy

Adult head structure. 2. Sosxetra grata, ♂, Yucatan, Mexico, MGCL; 3. S. grata, ♀, Alajuela, Costa Rica, MGCL;
4. Covellana niomalan, Paratype, ♂, Madre de Dios, Peru, MGCL.

Adult habitus of Sosxetra and Covellana.
5. Sosxetra grata, ♂, neotype, Espirito Santo, Brazil, MPM; 6. S. grata, syntype of S. agatha, ♂, Suriname, MfN; 7. S. grata, ♂, Napo, Ecuador, MGCL; 8. S. grata, ♂, Yucatan, Mexico, MGCL;
9. S. mamanina, ♂, holotype, Madre de Dios, Peru, MGCL; 10. S. mamanina, ♂, paratype, Madre de Dios, Peru, MGCL; 11. S. thutakanay, ♂, holotype, Napo, Ecuador, MGCL; 12. S. thutakanay, ♂, paratype, French Guiana, MGCL;
13. S. grata, syntype of S. agatha, ♀, Suriname, MfN; 14. S. grata, ♀, Pichincha, Ecuador, MGCL; 15. S. grata, ♀, paratype, Alajuela, Costa Rica, MGCL;
16. Covellana niomalan, ♂, holotype, Canal Zone, Panama, MGCL; 17. C. niomalan, ♂, paratype, Madre de Dios, Peru, MGCL.

Resting position of Sosxetra and Covellana.
 26. S. grata, ♂, Cayo District, Belize photo by Thomas Shahan;
27. Covellana niomalan Barro Colorado Island, Panama photo by Maxim Larrivée.

Sosxetra mamanina Martinez, Homziak, & Castillo-Argaez, sp. nov. 

Sosxetra thutakanay Martinez, Homziak, & Castillo-Argaez, sp. nov. 

 Covellana Martinez, Homziak, Plotkin & Castillo-Argaez, gen. nov., 

Covellana niomalan Martinez, Homziak, Plotkin & Castillo-Argaez, sp. nov.

 Jose I. Martinez, Nicholas T. Homziak, Taylor L. Pierson, Rhys J. L. Campo, David M. Plotkin and Raiza J. Castillo-Argaez. 2026. Revision of the Comose Flame Moths of the Genus Sosxetra Walker (Noctuidae, Dyopsinae), with Descriptions of A New Genus and Three New Species. ZooKeys. 1268: 227-248.  DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.138260 [06 Feb 2026]

[Entomology • 2024] Maikona mayodiana • Discovery of the Genus Maikona Matsumura, 1928 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Agaristinae) from India with the Description of A New Species

Maikona mayodiana

 Irungbam & Fric, 2024

  

DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5481.5.7  

  Researchgate.net/publication/382360867

 facebook.com/Jatishwor 

 

Abstract

The genus Maikona Matsumura, 1928 is reported for the first time from India with the description of a new species, Maikona mayodiana n. sp., from the Mayodia pass, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The diagnoses of the new species with similar congeners along with illustrations of its habitus, and genitalia are provided. A distributional map of the members of the genus is also provided.

Lepidoptera, Arunachal Pradesh, East Asia, new record, northeast India, taxonomy

Maikona mayodiana n. sp.

 

Jatishwor Singh IRUNGBAM and Zdenek Faltynek FRIC. 2024. Discovery of the Genus Maikona Matsumura, 1928 (Noctuidae: Agaristinae) from India with the Description of A New Species. Zootaxa. 5481(5); 582-590. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5481.5.7 [2024-07-19]

 facebook.com/Jatishwor/posts/10161415829698749 

 Researchgate.net/publication/382360867_Discovery_of_the_genus_Maikona_from_India

[Entomology • 2025] Paracroria niger, P. sahelica & P. oromia • Notes on the African Genus Paracroria (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), with Three New Species Descriptions

Paracroria niger Saldaitis, Prozorov & Müller sp. n.  
 Paracroria sahelica Saldaitis, Prozorov & Müller sp. n. 
 Paracroria oromia Saldaitis, Prozorov, Tujuba & Müller sp. n.  

in Saldaitis, Prozorov, Junnila, Petrányi, Yakovlev, Tujuba, Traore, Müller et Dûda, 2025.

 DOI: doi.org/10.18476/2025.146467 

 

Abstract

A recent revision of the genus Paracroria Hampson, 1908 by Hacker and collaborators is reviewed, with the following results: 1) an expanded and more accurate diagnosis of the genus, with the first description of morphological features, especially of the vesicae; 2) re-analysis of their dataset of publicly available barcodes, with confirmation of a currently unresolvable polyphyly of Paracroria griseocincta (Hampson, 1902) and change of the taxonomic status of Paracroria major miombo Hacker, Fiebig & Stadie, 2022 to P. miombo stat. n., as valid at the species level; 3) maps of collection localities for all species, with correction of the one given earlier for P. griseocincta. Additionally, three new species are described: Paracroria niger Saldaitis, Prozorov & Müller sp. n. and Paracroria sahelica Saldaitis, Prozorov & Müller sp. n. from Mali, and Paracroria oromia Saldaitis, Prozorov, Tujuba & Müller sp. n. from Ethiopia, with detailed diagnoses distinguishing them from P. griseocincta, P. miombo, Paracroria major Janse, 1938, and Paracroria lignosa Hacker, Fiebig & Stadie, 2022. Paracroria pulcherima Hacker, Fiebig & Stadie, 2022 was excluded from consideration due to a completely different wing shape, but left within the genus for the time being. Detailed color plates are provided.

KEYWORDS: Acontiinae, Acontiini, barcoding, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mali, Paracaroides, phylogeny, sahel, Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets, West Africa, West Sudanian savanna

Paracroria niger Saldaitis, Prozorov & Müller sp. n. 

Paracroria sahelica Saldaitis, Prozorov & Müller sp. n. 

Paracroria oromia Saldaitis, Prozorov, Tujuba & Müller sp. n.  

Aidas Saldaitis, Alexey M. Prozorov, Amy Junnila, Gergely Petrányi, Roman V. Yakovlev, Tesfu Fekensa Tujuba, Mohamed M. Traore, Günter C. Müller, Juozas Dûda. 2025. Notes on the African Genus Paracroria (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), with Three New Species Descriptions. Integrative Systematics: Stuttgart Contributions to Natural History. 8(1), 93-116. DOI: doi.org/10.18476/2025.146467 (30 June 2025)  

Einige Ergebnisse der kürzlich erfolgten Revision der Gattung Paracroria Hampson, 1908 durch HACKER und Kollegen werden überprüft, was zu folgenden Ergebnissen führt: 1) Die Gattungsdiagnose wird präzisiert und um die Beschreibung morphologischer Merkmale, insbesondere der Vesicae, erweitert; 2) Die phylogenetische Analyse anhand öffentlich verfügbarer Barcodes wird erneut durchgeführt und führt zur Bestätigung einer derzeit unauflösbaren Polyphylie von Paracroria griseocincta (Hampson, 1902) und zur Änderung des taxonomischen Status von Paracroria major miombo Hacker, Fiebig & Stadie, 2022 zu P. miombo stat. n. als valide Art; 3) Verbreitungskarten für alle Arten, mit Korrektur der zuvor für P. griseocincta angegebenen. Darüber hinaus werden drei neue Arten beschrieben: Paracroria niger Saldaitis, Prozorov & Müller sp. n. und Paracroria sahelica Saldaitis, Prozorov & Müller sp. n. aus Mali sowie Paracroria oromia Saldaitis, Prozorov, Tujuba & Müller sp. n. aus Äthiopien. Detaillierte Diagnosen der neuen Arten zu ihrer Unterscheidung von P. griseocincta, P. miombo, P. major Janse, 1938 und P. lignosa Hacker, Fiebig & Stadie, 2022 werden bereitgestellt. Paracroria pulcherima Hacker, Fiebig & Stadie, 2022 wurde aufgrund der völlig anderen Flügelform von dieser Betrachtung ausgeschlossen, aber vorerst in der Gattung belassen. Detaillierte Farbtafeln werden zur Verfügung gestellt.