Contribution to the study of the Afrotropical Pyraustinae Meyrick, 1890 (Lepidoptera, Crambidae): Taxonomic and distributional updates on five species with new country records

For the Pyraustinae, the Arabian Peninsula has been little explored to date. No more than 20 species distributed over 13 genera have become known.Taxonomic and distributional updates are presented on five species of the Pyraustinae (Lepidoptera, Crambidae), based on material from East and Central Africa and from the tropical parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Ecpyrrhorrhoe diatoma (Hampson, 1913) and Psammotis haematidea (Hampson, 1913) are re-described, with the male and female genitalia described and figured for the first time.

A new combination Paschiodes postmediofusalis (Seizmair, 2022) comb. n. from Pyrausta Hübner, 1825 is introduced, with the diagnostic characters differentiating the species from the other species of the Afrotropical genus Paschiodes Hampson, 1913 being listed. Psammotis haematidea (Hampson, 1913), Ecpyrrhorrhoe diatoma (Hampson, 1913) and Euclasta warreni Distant, 1892 are reported as new to the Arabian Peninsula. Psammotis haematidea (Hampson, 1913) is furthermore reported as new to Kenya and Cameroon.

Paschiodes postmediofusalis (Seizmair, 2022) comb. n. and Euclasta varii Popescu-Gori & Constantinescu, 1973 are reported as new to Saudi Arabia. For each of the taxa presented, external and internal diagnostic characters are listed and illustrated.