A Revision of Diparopsis Hmps. (Agrotidae, Lepidoptera)

Abstract

The genus Diparopsis Hmps. is confined to Africa. During the present century, an insect always identified hitherto as Diparopsis castanea Hmps. has become a serious pest as a bollworm of cotton in many parts of that continent. Until recently, the genus was thought to consist of only two species, D. castanea Hmps. and D. tephragramma B.-Bkr., but differences in the structure of the frontal process of the adult suggested that the former comprised two or more distinct sub-species or species. The present study was undertaken to determine the status of these different forms. It is based on the material in the collections of the British Museum (Natural History) and on additional material obtained through the courtesy of the Government Entomologist, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, and the Commonwealth Institute of Entomology.