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Issue: Vol. 5848 No. 1: 8 Jul. 2026
Type: Monograph
Published: 2026-07-08
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5848.1.1
Page range: 1-77
Abstract views: 62
PDF downloaded: 5

Integrative taxonomic revision of the genus Rhodophthitus Butler, 1880 (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Ennominae) with descriptions of two new genera and the reinstatement of Nothabraxas Warren, 1897 from synonymy

1Department of Science; Natural History Museum; Cromwell Road; London; SW7 5BD; United Kingdom; 2African Natural History Research Trust (ANHRT); Street Court; Leominster-Kingsland; HR6 9QA; United Kingdom
3SNSB-Zoologische Staatssammlung München; Münchhausenstr. 21; Munich; Germany
Lepidoptera Afrotropical realm biogeography COI 5P cryptic taxa DNA barcode new combination new genus new species new subspecies

Abstract

Based on integrative taxonomical methods, the taxonomy of the Afrotropical ennomine genus Rhodophthitus Butler, 1880 is revised. Suggested by morphological findings and the results of Maximum Likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis of COI 5P gene regions (DNA barcodes), the genus contains only two species, Rhodophthitus formosus Butler, 1880 and R. betsileanus Herbulot, 1965, both endemic to Madagascar. The ML analysis, supported by diagnostic morphology, revealed that all mainland African taxa that have previously been associated with Rhodophthitus, belong to three other genera. The genus Nothabraxas Warren, 1897 stat. rev. is revived from synonymy with Rhodophthitus to include N. commaculata Warren, 1897 comb. rev. (type species), N. anamesa Prout, 1915 comb. rev., N. atacta (Prout, 1922) comb. nov., N. barlowi Prout, 1922 comb. rev., N. castus (Warren, 1904) comb. nov., N. procellosa (Warren, 1905) comb. nov., N. roseovittata (Butler, 1895) comb. nov., N. rudicornis (Butler, 1898) comb. nov., N. simplex (Warren, 1897) comb. nov., N. thapsinus (Prout, 1931) comb. nov., and N. unca Le Cerf, 1922 comb. rev. An additional 12 new Nothabraxas species-group taxa are described: N. admirabilis sp. nov., N. commaculata meridiana ssp. nov., N. commaculata zambica ssp. nov., N. elegans sp. nov., N. johnstonei sp. nov., N. paeonistriata sp. nov., N. paeonistriata muchingensis ssp. nov., N. politzari sp. nov., N. pseudocommaculata sp. nov., N. smithi sp. nov., N. staudei sp. nov., and N. sulaki sp. nov. A new genus, Proutabraxas gen. nov. is erected to include P. myriostictus (Prout, 1915) comb. nov. (type species) and P. pseudabraxas (Carcasson, 1964) comb. nov. A further new genus, Rhodochanna gen. nov., is established to include R. tricoloraria (Mabille, 1890) comb. nov. (type species) and R. arichannaria (Fletcher, 1978) comb. nov., together with three newly described species: R. albertina sp. nov., R. atrinivosa sp. nov., and R. melanoptera sp. nov.

This study includes a dendrogram generated from Maximum Likelihood genetic analysis, nine distribution maps, and 247 colour figures illustrating adults and genitalia of both sexes for all examined species.

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How to Cite

László, G.M. & Hausmann, A. (2026) Integrative taxonomic revision of the genus Rhodophthitus Butler, 1880 (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Ennominae) with descriptions of two new genera and the reinstatement of Nothabraxas Warren, 1897 from synonymy. Zootaxa, 5848 (1), 1–77. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5848.1.1