Taxonomic revision and conservation concerns of the trapezitine genus <i>Croitana</i> Waterhouse, 1932 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from Australia

Abstract Croitana Waterhouse, 1932 (Trapezitinae) is a small genus of skippers endemic to Australia, with most species restricted to semi‐arid and arid biomes where the larvae specialise on grasses (Poaceae) in the genera Neurachne R.Br., Enteropogon Nees and Austrostipa S.W.L. Jacobs &amp; J.Everett. However, the taxonomic status of several taxa has remained unclear for the past two to three decades. Taxonomic revision based on comparative morphology of the male genitalia, adult phenotype, and other evidence (e.g., life history) indicates that there are five species: C. croites (Hewitson, 1874) (type species), C. aestiva E.D. Edwards, 1979, C. arenaria E.D. Edwards, 1979, C. pilepudla Grund, 2003 stat. rev. , and C. flavescens sp. nov. , all of which are allopatric or parapatric. Croitana pilepudla stat. rev. is restricted to Eyre Peninsula and the eastern Nullarbor of South Australia, whereas C. flavescens sp. nov. is a narrow‐range endemic, restricted to the western Swan Coastal Plain (Quindalup dune system) in the mesic biome of south‐western Western Australia (mean annual rainfall ~700–900 mm), with an estimated extent of occurrence of approximately 1600 km 2 . Croitana aestiva, C. arenaria and C. flavescens sp. nov. are all of conservation concern. IUCN Red List Criteria indicate that C. flavescens sp. nov. is Endangered (EN)—it is currently threatened with extinction by habitat loss and fragmentation through urbanisation, and priorities for further research include surveys, habitat reservation and monitoring to underpin effective conservation management of the species. The lectotype male of Mesodina croites pindar Waterhouse, 1932, a junior synonym of Cyclopides croites Hewitson [1874], in the Australian Museum, Sydney was found to have been stolen by C. Wyatt and substituted with a different specimen that has the original Waterhouse labels; the type specimen and its original data label are currently housed in the Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Germany.