Taxonomic status of the noctuid moth Mesapamea remmi Rezbanyai‐Reser (Lepidoptera) has remained controversial since its description in 1985. Based on morphology, it has been considered a valid species or a hybrid between Mesapamea secalis (Linnaeus) and Mesapamea didyma (Esper). We studied this case of uncertain identity by using traditional Sanger sequencing techniques (COI and seven nuclear genes) as well as double digest restriction‐site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing, which resulted in analyses including 9402 loci and 1 512 976 bp across the genome. Our analyses showed that genomic data do not support the hybrid hypothesis and that M. remmi is not separated genetically from M. secalis; both are clearly distinct from M. didyma. Reproductive organs of M. remmi males are unique and diagnosable, whereas females are teratological in the sense that ductus seminalis is missing and corpus bursae is malformed, the latter being connected directly to the ovipore. These data support the view that M. remmi is not a valid species and we consider M. remmi Rezbanyai‐Reser, 1985 to be a junior synonym of M. secalis (Linnaeus, 1758). We demonstrate that genomic approaches provide an efficient way to address various difficult and long‐standing taxonomic issues, in this case oversplitting of species.

中文翻译：

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基因组证据表明 Mesapamea remmi 是一种虚构的物种（鳞翅目：夜蛾科）

自 1985 年被描述以来，夜蛾 Mesapamea remmi Rezbanyai-Reser（鳞翅目）的分类地位一直存在争议。基于形态学，它被认为是一个有效的物种，或者是 Mesapamea secalis (Linnaeus) 和 Mesapamea didyma (Esper) 的杂交种。我们通过使用传统的 Sanger 测序技术（COI 和 7 个核基因）以及双酶切限制性位点相关 DNA (ddRAD) 测序研究了这种身份不确定的情况，分析结果包括整个基因组中的 9402 个基因座和 1512976 bp . 我们的分析表明，基因组数据不支持杂交假说，并且 M. remmi 与 M. secalis 在遗传上没有分离。两者都明显不同于 M. didyma。M. remmi 雄性的生殖器官是独特且可诊断的，而女性在精管缺失和囊体畸形的意义上是畸形的，后者直接连接到卵孔。这些数据支持 M. remmi 不是有效物种的观点，我们认为 M. remmi Rezbanyai-Reser, 1985 是 M. secalis (Linnaeus, 1758) 的次要同义词。我们证明基因组方法提供了一种有效的方法来解决各种困难和长期存在的分类学问题，在这种情况下是物种过度分裂。