Neue Taxa der afrotropischen Gattung Dactyloceras Mell, 1927 (Lepidoptera: Brahmaeidae)

"The following contribution to knowledge the family Brahmaeidae SWINHOE, 1892 (Lepidoptera) is actually based on the bibliographical work “Brahmaeidae of the World” by U. Paukstadt & L. H. Paukstadt (2021). During the extensive review of about 400 related papers and comparisons of the scientific names with the BOLD TaxonID Tree, which has been assisted by Eric van Schayck, it was noticed that some groups of the Tree could not be assigned to any previously known species. Associated taxa were therefore considered to be partly undescribed. Consequently new taxa of the subgenus Shinocksiceras BOUYER, 2002 of the Afrotropical genus Dactyloceras MELL in Hering in Seitz, 1927 (Lepidoptera: Brahmaeidae) are herewith described as new for science. Dactyloceras (Shinocksiceras) vumbaensis sp. nov. from Zimbabwe and Dactyloceras (Shinocksiceras) vumbaensis paravumbaensis subsp. nov. from Zambia are related taxa within the neumayeri-group (sensu Paukstadt & Paukstadt 2021). Dactyloceras (Shinocksiceras) siriae sp. nov. from Ethiopia and Dactyloceras (Shinocksiceras) juliae sp. nov. from northern Uganda are members of the neumayeri-group, too. The species are well genetically separated in the BOLD TaxonID Tree, though the external morphologies are almost similar. During the preparation of “Brahmaeidae of the World” it was already established that several new names proposed from 2002 onwards were based on rather inadequate descriptions and with, if at all, inaccurate figures of the male genital structures. So far there are only two complete and good illustration of the male genital structures of taxa of this genus to be found in literature (D. richinii BERIO, 1940 and D. neumayeri (PAGENSTECHER in Gerstaecker in Fischer, 1885 [“1882-1883”])). We consider that the numerous rough sketches of the genitalia structures of taxa of the genus Dactyloceras provided in literature to be rather insufficient for scientific purposes. There were also hardly any comparisons with traditional older names of this genus so far. Therefore, descriptions of taxa new for science within the genus Dactyloceras are difficult rather at the time being. Nevertheless, the descriptions in this paper, the attached color figures of at least the holotypes, figures of the male genitalia structures including its details, and comparisons to other related species should allow the reader to identify the taxa in question. The collective-group name neumayeri-group (sensu Paukstadt & Paukstadt 2021) is hereby used tentative for certain assemblages of taxonomic convenience."