Abstract:

Aim: Lepidoptera is one of the largest orders in Insecta and is a group with high economic importance as many pest species of Lepidoptera occur all over the world. China is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, as it ranges from the Palaearctic to Oriental Regions, and many species new to science are described each year. The aim of this study is to summarize the new taxa of Lepidoptera from China that were reported in 2020.

Methods: Information regarding new species, newly recorded species, and new synonyms and combinations were collected from several common journals of taxonomy and monographs. In total, 102 articles and 3 monographs are included in this report. From these sources, the scientific names, type localities, and the other relevant information have been summarized.

Results: The number of new taxa of Chinese Lepidoptera published by domestic and foreign researchers in 2020 has been summarized. In 2020, 196 new taxa of Lepidoptera were reported, including 1 new genus, 190 new species, 5 new subspecies, and 71 newly recorded species for China. Additionally, 55 new combinations and 11 new synonyms have been suggested. All of the new species and subspecies belong to 23 families.

Conclusions: The number of new species published in Hainan and Yunnan was significantly higher than that in other regions and accounted for two-fifths of the total number of new species published in China in 2020. Yunnan Province had the highest number of newly recorded species for a region in China and accounted for about half of the total number of newly recorded species in China. In general, the number of new species and newly recorded species collected in the south are significantly higher than those in north of China. Moreover, the discovery and description of all Lepidoptera species in China are far from completed, and further investigation of Lepidoptera in China is necessary.

Key words: Lepidoptera, new taxa, new combination, new synonyms, China