# Re-Examination: No True Tabidia Snellen, 1880 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in China, with Descriptions of Two New Genera and Three New Species

## TL;DR

This study finds no true Tabidia moths in China and describes two new genera and three new species based on physical and genetic evidence.

## Contribution

The paper introduces two new genera and three new species, correcting the taxonomy of moths previously classified under Tabidia in China.

## Key findings

- No true Tabidia species are found in China based on morphological and molecular data.
- Two new genera, Scintilla and Melanoleuca, are established and placed in the tribe Agroterini.
- Three new cryptic species within Melanoleuca are described and identified.

## Abstract

Based on morphological and molecular evidence, this study revises the crambid genus Tabidia Snellen, 1880, confirming that no true species of this genus are distributed in China. Two new genera, Scintilla gen. nov. and Melanoleuca gen. nov., are established and assigned to the tribe Agroterini Acloque, 1897. Additionally, three new species are described within Melanoleuca
gen. nov. This study clarifies the taxonomic boundaries of this group in China and provides a foundation for related systematic research.

Many species within the genus Tabidia Snellen, 1880 exhibit significant differences in wing pattern and genital morphology, which are inconsistent with the definition of Tabidia, indicating that the genus is not monophyletic. To address this, the present study revises the taxonomy of the Chinese species previously placed in Tabidia based on wing morphological characteristics, differences in male and female genitalia, and phylogenetic relationships inferred from the mitochondrial COI gene and mitochondrial genomes. As a result, two new genera are established: Melanoleuca
gen. nov. and Scintilla
gen. nov. These new genera are confirmed to belong to the tribe Agroterini Acloque, 1897. Furthermore, three cryptic new species are discovered: Melanoleuca luteamacula sp. nov., Melanoleuca qianshanensis sp. nov., and Melanoleuca yingshanensis sp. nov. Based on the morphological characteristics of adult appearance and genitalia, an identification key to the species of these two new genera is provided. Illustrations of adult specimens and their genital structures are provided, along with a world catalog of the species for the three relevant genera: Tabidia, Melanoleuca, and Scintilla.