Revisionary checklist of the southern African Osminiini (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae)

Abstract A revisionary checklist of the southern African clearwing moths of the tribe Osminiini is presented. Redescriptions of the genera and species from the region are given wherever necessary. The two genera, Erismatica Meyrick, 1933 and Pseudomelittia Le Cerf, 1917, are placed in Osminiini for the first time. One new genus, Halictina n. gen., as well as eight new species, Cabomina ruthmuellerae n. sp., C. flavivertex n. sp., Aenigmina albiapex n. sp., Noctusphecia kgalagadia n. sp., N. rubra n. sp., Homogyna nama n. sp., H. dukei n. sp., and H. xant homelaena n. sp. are described. The following new combinations are introduced: Cabomina chalypsa (Hampson, 1919) n. comb.; C. hilariformis (Walker, 1856) n. comb.; C. leucopleura (Hampson, 1919) n. comb.; C. tiresa (Druce, 1899) n. comb.; Erismatica endopyra (Hampson, 1910) n. comb.; Halictina andraenipennis (Walker, 1856) n. comb.; Synanthedon elymais (Druce, 1899) n. comb.; S. xanthopasta (Hampson, 1919) n. comb.; S. tapeina Hampson, 1919 n. comb.; S. ochracea (Walker, 1864) n. comb. and S. cingulata (Gaede, 1929) n. comb. Lectotypes of Chamanthedon heliostoma Meyrick, 1926 and Paranthrene sanguipennis Meyrick, 1926 are designated. Erismatica erythropis Meyrick, 1933 n. syn. is considered a new subjective junior synonym of Erismatica endopyra (Hampson, 1910). Bionomical data for some Afrotropical Osminiini species are given, which are the first observations on the life history of a member of the tribe.