REVISION OF THE AMERILA SYNTOMINA SPECIES COMPLEX WITH DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES FROM WEST AFRICA (LEPIDOPTERA: EREBIDAE: ARCTIINAE)

The Amerila syntomina complex, comprising four similar species from the African tropics, is circumscribed and reviewed on the basis of external features, characters of the genitalia and strong molecular evidence. Amerila alexandrae sp. nov. is described from West Africa, along with the hitherto unknown female of A. syntomina and previously unstudied features of female genitalia of A. thermochroa. Amerila rubandoi stat. nov. is found to be distinct from A. syntomina and upgraded to specific level. The study provides a first molecular analysis of moths of the genus Amerila, with comparisons of 90 mtCOI sequences that allowed to discriminate 20 described species of Amerila, including those representing the core subject of this work, namely A. alexandrae, A. rubandoi , A. syntomina, and A. thermtochroa. The intra.- and interspecific variation of these closely related species is analysed from morphological and genetic viewpoints.