Phylogenetics, integrative taxonomy and systematics of the <i>Sesamia cretica</i> species group (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Apameini: Sesamiina), with the description of 21 new species from the Afrotropical region

In this study, 31 species of noctuid stemborers belonging to the genus <i>Sesamia</i> Guenée, 1852 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae: Apameini: Sesamiina) are reviewed. All these species are assigned to the <i>Sesamia cretica</i> group <i>sensu</i> Tams &amp; Bowden (1953). Based on genitalic characters, several subgroups are hereby defined. Nine species belong to a species complex defined as the <i>Sesamia albivena</i> Hampson, 1902 subgroup; it consists of <i>S. albivena</i>, <i>S. mocoensis</i> Tams &amp; Bowden, 1953, <b>n. stat.</b>, S<i>. sudanensis</i> Tams &amp; Bowden, 1953, <b>n. stat.</b> <i>S. taenioleuca</i> (Wallengren, 1863), and five new species that are described (<i>S. aethiopica</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Ethiopia, <i>S. kafulo</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Botswana and Zambia, <i>S. kavirondo</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Kenya and Uganda, <i>S. maloukou</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Republic of Congo, and <i>S. soyema</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Ethiopia). Four species belong to a species complex defined as the <i>Sesamia cretica</i> subgroup; this encompasses <i>S. cretica</i>, <i>S. rufescens</i> Hampson, 1910, and two new species that are described (<i>S. ihambane</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Mozambique and Tanzania and <i>S. kikuyuensis</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Kenya); two new synonyms are introduced for <i>Sesamia cretica</i>: <i>Nonagria uniformis</i> Dudgeon, 1905 <b>n. syn.</b> and <i>Sesamia</i> <i>griselda</i> Warren, 1913, <b>n. syn.</b> Ten species belong to a species complex defined as the <i>Sesamia fuscifrontia</i> Hampson, 1914 subgroup; this includes <i>S. fuscifrontia</i>, <i>S. geyri</i> (Strand, 1915) and eight new species that are described (<i>S. babati</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Tanzania, <i>S. babessi</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Cameroon and Zambia, <i>S. mabira</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Uganda, <i>S. nangaensis</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Cameroon and Republic of Congo, <i>S. rungwa</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Tanzania, <i>S. simillima</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Benin, Cameroon, Kenya and Uganda, <i>S. taveta</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Kenya and <i>S. ulaukae</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Ethiopia). One species belongs to a species complex defined as the <i>Sesamia salama</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> subgroup; this consists of <i>S. salama</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Kenya and another undescribed <i>Sesamia</i> species from South Africa. One species belongs to a species complex defined as the <i>Sesamia viettei</i> Rungs, 1954 subgroup<i>.</i> Six species belong to a species complex defined as the <i>Sesamia wiltshirei</i> Rungs, 1963 subgroup; this groups <i>S. wiltshirei</i> and five new species that are described (<i>S. djenoensis</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Republic of Congo, <i>S. inexpectata</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from South Africa and Zambia, <i>S. lefini</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Republic of Congo, <i>S. echinochloa</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia and <i>S. rindini</i> Le Ru <b>n. sp.</b> from Tanzania). A supplemental description of the previously described species is also provided. Novel host plant records are also provided for 11 species of the <i>S. cretica</i> group. To complement the morphological study, both phylogenetic and molecular species delimitation analyses were carried out on a multimarker (four mitochondrial and two nuclear genes) molecular dataset encompassing 144 specimens representing 35 species (including 25 species from the <i>S. cretica</i> group). Molecular analyses provide a well-supported phylogenetic framework for the species of interest, which are all recovered monophyletic. Molecular species delimitation analyses also support the species status of almost all sampled species. Interestingly, the inferred tree indicates that the <i>S. cretica</i> group and the <i>S. fuscifrontia</i> subgroup are both paraphyletic; this indicates that, while highly informative, the chosen genitalic characters in <i>Sesamia</i> are not all synapomorphies.