Tarika nigrifrons (Moore, 1872), 2025

Volynkin, Anton V. & Černý, Karel, 2025, On the taxonomy of the genera Katha Moore, Tarika Moore, Cernyia Bucsek and Churingosia Volynkin & Černý, stat. n. with the description of a new genus and thirteen new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini: Lithosiina), Ecologica Montenegrina 87, pp. 1-45 : 5

Tarika nigrifrons (Moore, 1872) , stat. rev. & comb. n.

( Figs 5, 6 , 72–75 , 122 )

Lithosia nigrifrons Moore, 1872 , Proceedings of the general meetings for scientific business of the Zoological Society of London , 1872: 572 (Type locality: “N. India ”).

Type material examined. Lectotype (designated herein): male, [N India, Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala] “Dharmsala | ♂ ” / “Moore Coll. | 94–106.” / red ring “ Type ” label / blue label “ Arctiidae | genitalia slide | No. 5386 ♂ ” / QR-code label with unique ID “ NHMUK010401775 ” ( NHMUK).

Additional material examined: series of both sexes from Himalaya ( Pakistan, N and NE India and Nepal) ( MWM / ZSM, CKC, NHMUK).

Notes. (1) The species is herein restored from the synonymy with “ Katha ” conformis ( Walker, 1854) while the latter is transferred to the genus Churingosia Volynkin & Černý, 2022 , stat. rev. (see below). (2) The examined Himalayan specimens identified as T. nigrifrons display a high variability in their size and the length of the distal diverticulum ( Figs 72–75 ). It is unlikely that they belong to more than one biological species but to clarify this question a molecular study is highly desirable. (3) Tarika volynkini was described from two males collected in Northeast India (Meghalaya and Mizoram). Its male genitalia are very similar to T. nigrifrons but it is impossible to compare the details of their vesica structures as that of T. volynkini is not fully everted and its photo is low quality ( Joshi et al. 2018: fig. 14). Unfortunately, during the current study, the authors had no chance to examine specimens from the same region of India but managed to find three males from the faunistically similar Chin Hills, Myanmar, deposited in the Natural History Museum, Berlin ( Germany) ( Figs 7, 8 ). The latter have the vesica ground plan ( Figs 76 , 77 ) nearly identical to T. nigrifrons but with a main chamber being downcurved, which makes the distal diverticulum directed ventrad whereas it is distally directed in T. nigrifrons . It is hard to evaluate the taxonomic importance of this difference without molecular data and it is possible that T. volynkini should be considered as an eastern subspecies of a junior synonym of T. nigrifrons .

Distribution. Himalaya ( Pakistan, North and Northeast India, and Nepal).

Figures

Figures 1–14. Adults of Katha depressa (1, 2) and Tarika spp. (3–14). Depositories of the specimens: 1, 2 and 14 in CAV; 3, 11 and 12 in MWM/ZSM; 4, 10 and 13 in NHMUK; 5 and 6 in CKC; 7 and 8 in MfN; 9 in SZMN (photo by V. Dubatolov).

Figures 69–72. Male genitalia of Katha depressa (69) and Tarika spp. (70–72). Depositories of the specimens dissected: 69 in CAV; 70 in NHMUK; 71 and 72 in MWM/ZSM.

Figures 73–76. Male genitalia of Tarika spp. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 73 in MWM/ZSM; 74 and 75 in CKC; 76 in MfN.

Figures 120–125. Female genitalia of Katha depressa (120) and Tarika spp. (121–125). Depositories of the specimens dissected: 120 and 125 in CAV; 121 in NHMUK; 122 in CKC; 123 and 124 in MWM/ZSM.

Figures 77–80. Male genitalia of Tarika spp. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 77 in MfN; 78 and 79 in CKC; 80 in CAV.