Establishment of a new genus for Eresiomera paradoxa (Schultze, 1917) and related taxa (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) with description of two new species.

Finding of two undescribed species, closely related to Eresiomera paradoxa (Schultze, 1917) in Liberia and the Democratic Repubic of Congo led the authors to revise the material available in the African Butterfly Reserarch Institute (ABRI), Nairobi. Examination of the material revealed that the placement of E. paradoxa and the related species neither in the genus Eresiomera Clench, 1965, nor in Pseuderesia Butler, 1874 in which the species was originally described, is satisfactory, based on characters offered by the wings and genitalia. Solving the problem a new genus, Parasiomera gen. nov. is erected for E. paradoxa and related taxa and two new species are described: P. alfa sp. nov., P. kivuensis sp. nov. The taxon orientalis Stempffer, 1962 orignally described as subspecies of Pseuderesia paradoxa is also elevated to species rank and placed in the new genus resulting the new combination and new status Parasiomera orientalis (Stempffer, 1962). To secure objectivity of the name usage of P. paradoxa, the only existing syntpe is designated as lectotype.