DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.29403750.v1
title: Review of the noctuid stemborer genus <i>Sciomesa</i> (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Apameini: Sesamiina): taxonomy, phylogeny and ecology, with the description of 12 new species

description: The genus <i>Sciomesa</i> 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 <i>Sciomesa</i> species are described: <i>S. lalokeli</i> <b>n. sp.</b> and <i>S. metiminko</i> <b>n. sp.</b> from Ethiopia; <i>S. elgonensis</i> <b>n. sp.</b>, <i>S. nigra</i> <b>n. sp.</b> and <i>S. simillima</i> <b>n. sp.</b> from Kenya; <i>S. umvoti</i> <b>n. sp.</b> from South Africa; <i>S. iboya</i> <b>n. sp.</b>, <i>S. lilomwi</i> <b>n. sp.</b>, <i>S. makete</i> <b>n. sp.</b>, <i>S. njombe</i> <b>n. sp.</b> and <i>S. tanganyika</i> <b>n. sp.</b> from Tanzania; <i>S. kalinzu</i> <b>n. sp.</b> from Uganda; (ii) four species are reinstated as valid species: three of them, <i>S. constantini</i> Laporte <b>stat. rev.</b>, <i>S. etchecopari</i> Laporte <b>stat. rev.</b> and <i>S. mirifica</i> Laporte <b>stat. rev.</b>, were previously synonymized with <i>S. mesophaea</i> (Hampson) while <i>S. congitae</i> (Laporte) <b>stat. rev.</b> was previously synonymized with <i>S. boulardi</i> (Laporte); (iii) two species are synonymized: <i>S. minuscula</i> (Laporte) <b>n. syn.</b>, which was previously synonymized with <i>S. boulardi</i>, is a synonym of <i>S. congitae</i>, and <i>S. franciscae</i> Laporte <b>n. syn.</b> is a synonym of <i>S. mesophaea</i>; (iv) one species, <i>Sesamia punctipennis</i> Krüger <b>stat. rev.</b>, which was transferred to the <i>Sciomesa</i> genus, is removed from the genus <i>Sciomesa</i> and temporarily reinstated to the genus <i>Sesamia</i> Guenée pending a new combination. A supplemental description for 12 previously described species is also provided: <i>S. boulardi</i>, <i>S. bua</i> Moyal et al., <i>S. constantini</i>, <i>S. etchecopari</i>, <i>S. excelsa</i> (Laporte), <i>S. gnosia</i> Moyal et al., <i>S. mesophaea</i>, <i>S. congitae</i>, <i>S. mirifica</i>, <i>S. renibifida</i> Berio, <i>S. scotochroa</i> (Hampson) and <i>S. venata</i> Fletcher. Host-plant records are provided for 10 <i>Sciomesa</i> 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 <i>Sciomesa</i> 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 (<i>S. betschi</i> Viette, <i>S. janthina</i> Viette and <i>S. oberthueri</i> Viette) whose status is debated. The resulting phylogenetic framework provides the most complete picture of the evolutionary relationships of the genus <i>Sciomesa</i>, and results of topological tests provide further support for removing <i>S. betschi</i> and <i>S. janthina</i> from the genus <i>Sciomesa</i> pending new combinations. The results of molecular species delimitation analyses also overwhelmingly support the species status of the <i>Sciomesa</i> species sampled, even for <i>S. mesophaea</i>, 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.