The Gelechiidae (Lepidoptera) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the framework of a taxonomic revision of the Gelechiidae of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an annotated checklist of 66 species is presented. Beside 24 new species records for this country, two new species are described: Athrips pallidifusca sp. nov. and Schizovalva nigromaculata sp. nov. Additionally, two new synonyms are proposed: Anarsia manjakatompo Viette, 1957 syn. nov. of A. gambiensis Strand, 1913, stat. nov.; Metzneria portieri Viette, 1948 syn. nov. of Metzneria sanguinea Meyrick, 1934. Three new combinations are suggested: Anarsia syndelta (Meyrick, 1921) comb. nov., from Telphusa; Mometa cunctatrix (Meyrick, 1931) comb. nov. and Mometa erebodoxa (Meyrick, 1927) comb. nov. from Platyedra. The male and female genitalia of Dactylethrella bryophilella (Walsingham, 1891), Anarsia gambiensis Strand, 1913, Mometa chlidanopa Meyrick, 1927 and Semophylax apicepuncta (Busck, 1911), as well as the male genitalia of Anarsia syndelta, Dichomeris eurynotus (Walsingham, 1897), Metzneria sanguinea Meyrick, 1934 and the female genitalia of Aspades armatovalva (Janse, 1963) are described and illustrated for the first time. Taxonomic notes, larval host plants and updated distribution data are given for several species. Anarsia gambiensis is recorded for the first time from Ethiopia, Tanzania and Malawi; Anarsia gravata Meyrick, 1911 from Tanzania and from Uganda, Kenya and Yemen; Ephysteris leptocentra (Meyrick, 1912) from the Afrotropical region.