Gracillariidae leaf miners include 1987 species of poorly studied micromoths for which the majority of the diversity has been described from temperate regions. The Neotropics harbors one of the richest faunas of Gracillariidae, but the rate of taxon descriptions has been slow because of limited sampling and taxonomic activity. In this illustrated catalogue, we provide, for the first time, 476 high resolution illustrations for the 201 species of named gracillariids occurring in the region and revise their classification, newly considering the family-group names Oecophyllembiini stat. nov., Marmarini stat. nov., and Parornichini stat. nov. as tribes of Phyllocnistinae, in the first two cases and Gracillariinae in the last case respectively. Two species, Sauterina hexameris (Meyrick, 1921) comb. nov. and S. phiaropis (Meyrick, 1921) comb. nov., are transferred to Sauterina from Gracillaria. By making taxonomic, distributional, molecular and biological data available in a concise form, we aim to facilitate taxonomic work on Neotropical gracillariids, and in turn to enhance studies in general on poorly studied organisms such as parasitoids from this biogeographical region.

This comprehensive checklist is a synthesis of the verified taxonomic information on all known Neotropical Gracillariidae species presented in a concise and uniformed way. The taxonomic information on these moth species in the Neotropical region is assembled and presented along with the referenced information on species distribution, host plants and parasitoids. The Genbank and BOLD accession numbers are given for the species that have been genetically investigated. By consulting robust literature sources, the Gracillariidae collections at natural history museums and in private holdings, we emphasize the significance of inter-links between the information on host plants, gracillariid moths and their parasitoids in the Neotropical Region.

Two new species, Urodeta falcatasp. nov. from Ghana and U. bisignasp. nov. from Democratic Republic of the Congo are described. The habitus and genitalia are diagnosed and illustrated in detail. Identification keys to the Afrotropical species of the genus Urodeta, based on male and female genitalia, are provided.

Advances in genomics enable the inclusion of historic collection specimens in phylogenetic analyses for the delimitation of natural groups. We capitalise on these developments to generate data from independent sources like mitochondrial genomes, morphology and bionomics. Using leaf-mining moths as model organisms, we address the evolutionary problems in the Australian biogeographical realm, from learning about the morphological traits and associated bionomics to revealing principles of the relationship between plants and insects based on genetic studies. We use museum specimens and mitochondrial genomics to associate century-old and often in bad condition primary type specimens with more recent accessions at the Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra, Australia, adding detailed morphological descriptions and bionomics like host records to otherwise relatively bare names. Genomic data yield well-resolved phylogenies, while morphology and bionomics improve visual evidence and practical biological knowledge. All three datasets fine-tune the taxonomy of the global Gracillariidae and the Australian members of the subfamily Ornixolinae in particular. In the present study, we demonstrated that some Australian species which were considered to belong to Ornixolinae in fact, should be classified as part of Acrocercopinae or Gracillariinae. We use holistic analyses to learn about species and species-group boundaries, assisting in species and higher taxa delimitation and classification. Novelties presented in this article: 9 new genera: Bridella De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, gen. n.; Crotona De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, gen. n.; Dondavisia De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, gen. n.; Kallia De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, gen. n.; Murwillumbah De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, gen. n.; Ornica De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, gen. n.; Polka De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, gen. n.; Ponga De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, gen. n.; Toowoomba De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, gen. n. 38 new species: Bridella doo De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Crotona kakadu De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Cuphodes calycanthae De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Cuphodes drypette De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov., Cuphodes leucoptera De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Diphtheroptila auris De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Diphtheroptila breynella De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Diphtheroptila cairna De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Diphtheroptila cornuta De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Diphtheroptila crotonella, De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Diphtheroptila djabu De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Diphtheroptila glochidia De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Diphtheroptila glochidiella De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Diphtheroptila nix De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Diphtheroptila virosae De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Dondavisia digitata De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Epicephala breyniphaga De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Epicephala doddi De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Epicephala dunkensis De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Epicephala philippa De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Epicephala sydnea De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Epicephala xerocarpa, De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Gibbovalva lambertiae De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Gibbovalva lomatiae De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Kallia myopora De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Liocrobyla kuranda De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Liocrobyla pinnatae De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Parectopa acaciella De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Parectopa braidella De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Parectopa melanoxyla De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Polka commoni De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Polydema eubenangee De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Polydema macaranga De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Polydema mallota De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Polydema virgula De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Ponga pinna De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Stomphastis dhileepani De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov.; Toowoomba toowoomba De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, sp. nov. 2 new synonymisation acts: Cyphosticha Meyrick, 1907 syn. n. = Cuphodes Meyrick, 1897; Conopomorpha heliopla (Meyrick, 1907) syn. n. = Polysoma eumetalla (Meyrick, 1880). 14 new combinations: Cuphodes acrolitha (Meyrick, 1908a), comb. n. (= Cyphosticha acrolitha); Cuphodes albomarginata (Stainton, 1862), comb. n. (= Gracilaria albomarginata); Cuphodes callimacha (Meyrick, 1920), comb. n. (= Acrocercops callimacha); Cuphodes microta (Turner, 1894), comb. n. (= Gracillaria microta); Cuphodes pandoxa (Turner, 1913), comb. n. (= Cyphosticha pandoxa); Cuphodes pterocola (Meyrick, 1914b), comb. n. (= Cyphosticha pterocola); Cuphodes pyrochroma (Turner, 1894), comb. n. (= Gracillaria pyrochroma); Gibbovalva zaplaca (Meyrick, 1907), comb. n. (= Conopomorpha zaplaca); Kallia murtfeldtella (Busck, 1904), comb. n. (= Gracillaria murtfeldtella); Murwillumbah panconita (Turner, 1913), comb. n. (= Cyphosticha panconita); Ornica australis (Turner, 1896), comb. n. (= Ornix australis); Parectopa epimicta (Turner, 1913), comb. n. (= Acrocercops epimicta); Polysoma heliopla (Meyrick, 1907), comb. n. (= Conopomorpha heliopla); Toowoomba dialeuca (Turner, 1940), comb. n. (= Cyphosticha dialeuca). Neotype designation: Gracillaria heteropsis Lower, 1894. 19 Lectotype designations: Conopomorpha chionochtha Meyrick, 1907; Conopomorpha habrodes Meyrick, 1907; Conopomorpha zaplaca Meyrick, 1907; Coriscium ochridorsellum Meyrick, 1880; Cuphodes didymosticha Turner, 1940; Cuphodes habrophanes Turner, 1940; Cuphodes maculosa Turner, 1940; Cyphosticha dialeuca Turner, 1940; Epicephala colymbetella Meyrick, 1880; Epicephala invita Meyrick, 1912; Epicephala stephanephora Turner, 1923; Epicephala zalosticha Turner, 1940; Gracillaria albistriatella Turner, 1894; Gracillaria cramerella Snellen, 1904; Gracillaria mnesicala Meyrick, 1880; Gracillaria pyrochroma Turner, 1894; Ornix trigonophora Turner,...

Nearly a century ago, wing venation was introduced in gracillariid taxonomy as a means to diagnose closely related genera and species groups. Recent advances in non-destructive virtual micro-dissections suggest promising approaches with which to revisit the relevance of wing venation characters on historic primary type specimens. Many unique type specimens in Gracillariidae and other microlepidoptera groups preserved in museum collections are in poor condition, and over the course of history have suffered loss or damage to their abdomens. Consequently, genitalia morphology is not available for diagnoses and comparisons. In this paper we emphasize the need to include the type species and type specimens into the broader context of taxonomic studies on micro-moths in general and the family Gracillariidae in particular. The genus Caloptilia has a world-wide distribution and has been the subject of research for more than 200 years, yet the generic boundaries and groupings within the genus are still unresolved due to the lack of a reliable set of taxonomic characters obtained from the primary types. We describe a method of virtual descaling of the fore- and hindwings using the unset micro-moth type specimen of Caloptilia stigmatella Fabricius, 1781, in order to demonstrate that the study of historic and fragile type specimens and diagnoses of their internal morphological characters becomes possible by applying new and non-destructive technology.

After twenty years of publishing the taxonomic journal Zootaxa, it is now the right time to synthesize its achievements and its contribution to the taxonomic knowledge of the Afrotropical Lepidoptera taxa. These contributions were made thanks to the exploration of natural habitats, museum collections, historic libraries, private holdings and phylogenetic investigations by many professional and amateur lepidopterists throughout the world. Zootaxa was introduced as a novel publication model with its innovative, community-based, and democratic approach to speed up the process of taxonomic publications. The fast-developing technology and especially the accessibility of digital taxonomic tools prepared the basis for novel links and inter-relationships. The global digital revolution and especially the overwhelming embrace of digital technology in Africa made an essential switch in the way we work: it became possible to present taxonomic information in a way that is searchable, consultable, illustrative, updatable, correctable and, most importantly—open and accessible to everyone. In this article, the trends of an increase in Afrotropical moth biodiversity knowledge published in Zootaxa and other journals are shortly discussed. Data are retrieved from the online taxonomic relational database Afromoths (www.afromoths.net).