History of the systematics of theSesamia sensulato group of African noctuid stem borers of monocotyledonous plants (Lepidoptera)

From the description of the genus Sesamia Guenée in 1852 to the latest work on the African species, the history of the systematics of this difficult group of African noctuid stem borers is recounted. The misidentifications that confused the taxonomy of these taxa and the new light shed when genitalia observation was first used are described. Some difficulties that still remain in classifying the 157 species described to date are emphasised and possible improvement by the combined use of morphological and molecular analyses is stressed.