Taxonomic and Faunistic Results on the <i>Spilomelinae</i> Guenée, 1854 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from the Southern Arabian Peninsula with Descriptions of Three New Species

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The <i>Spilomelinae</i> Guinée, 1854 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is known as the largest subfamily of the Pyraloidea with a wide distribution in the tropical and temperate zones. In the present study, new taxonomic and faunistic results on this subfamily are presented on the basis of material sampled in the south-western province Dhofar of Oman. In Dhofar three zoogeographical zones intersect, namely the Palearctic, Oriental and Afrotropical zones, with the Afrotropical fauna elements in the majority. The specimens of the sample are attributed to three species of three different genera, namely <i>Herpetogramma</i>, Lederer, 1883 (n=2), <i>Notarcha</i>, Meyrick, 1884 (n=2) and <i>Glyphodes</i>, Meyrick, 1884 (n=2) on the basis of external and genital-morphological characters. The specimens attributed to the genus <i>Herpetogramma</i>, Lederer, 1883 are assigned to a species group known as LBJ (Little Brown Jobs), the species of which are distinguishable by genital-morphological features exclusively. The specimens attributed to the genus <i>Notarcha</i>, Meyrick, 1884 revealed to be very close in wing pattern features to the <i>Notarcha quaternalis</i> Zeller, 1832 species complex. Comparison of the male genitalia of each of the sub-samples with the species of the respective sub-groups revealed significant differences, which result in the descriptions of the new species <i>Herpetogramma debilis</i> Seizmair, sp. nov. and <i>Notarcha viridalis</i> Seizmair, sp. nov. The presence of the genus <i>Notarcha</i>, Meyrick, 1884 is reported as new to the entomofauna of the Arabian Peninsula. The specimens attributed to the genus <i>Glyphodes</i>, Meyrick, 1884 differ significantly in external characters from a sample of seven species with similar forewing longitudinal line patterns. Among the species of this cluster <i>Glyphodes onychinalis</i> Guenée, 1854 is genital-morphologically very close to the specimens of the sample collected. The latter species and the specimens of the sample share the shape of the uncus and the structure of the corpus bursae wall, yet differ significantly in the structure of the valva. These differences result in the description of the new species <i>Glyphodes leucomesalis</i> Seizmair, sp.nov.