Tarika Moore, 1878

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 : 3-4

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2025.87.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7E42C152-705D-4084-A80C-89A946B68738
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16959134
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03887542-9574-183D-FF5F-FA1DE307F343
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Tarika Moore, 1878
status

Treatment

Genus Tarika Moore, 1878 View in CoL

Tarika Moore, 1878 View in CoL , Proceedings of the general meetings for scientific business of the Zoological Society of London, 1878: 14.

Type species: Lithosia varana Moore, 1865 , by subsequent designation by Kirby (1892).

Diagnosis. Tarika ( Figs 3–56 View Figures 1–14 View Figures 15–24 View Figures 25–37 View Figures 38–48 View Figures 49–56 ) is morphologically very similar to Katha ( Figs 1, 2 View Figures 1–14 ) but has a male antenna more sparsely ciliate with shorter cilia. The male genital capsules of the genera have the same ground plan and the main difference between them is found in their vesica structures: in Katha ( Fig. 69 View Figures 69–72 ), the vesica is very short, membranous, has only a small subbasal diverticulum but bears a long and robust, spike-like cornutus with a long base extending into the base of the vesica ejaculatorius. Unlike in Katha , the vesica of Tarika ( Figs 70–113 View Figures 69–72 View Figures 73–76 View Figures 77–80 View Figures 81–84 View Figures 85–88 View Figures 89–92 View Figures 93–96 View Figures 97–100 View Figures 101–103 View Figures 104–107 View Figures 108–111 View Figures 112–115 ) is markedly longer and has several utricular diverticula, some of which are covered with graniculi and/or bear compact clusters of short bur robust spines or/and robust claw-shaped cornuti, while the base of the vesica ejaculatorius has no sclerotisations. In the female genitalia of Tarika ( Figs 121–144 View Figures 120–125 View Figures 126–132 View Figures 133–138 View Figures 139–142 View Figures 143–146 ), the ventral margin of the ostium bursae is membranous or gelatinous whereas the 7 th sternite of Katha ( Fig. 120 View Figures 120–125 ) has a rugose, horseshoe-shaped antevaginal plate edging the ostium bursae ventrally. In Tarika , the ductus seminalis originates from the anterior section of the corpus bursae anteriorly or laterally whereas in Katha , it originates from the posterior section of the corpus bursae laterally. Additionally, the corpus bursae of Katha bears a longitudinal stripe-like signum with irregular margins, whereas most species of Tarika lack the signum.

Distribution. Species of the genus are distributed in the eastern Palaearctic and northern Oriental Realms.

The problematic taxa described from Taiwan Island

Two Taiwanese taxa described by Matsumura (1927) from yellow-coloured females, Lithosia formosicola Matsumura, 1927 and Lithosia tomponis Matsumura, 1927 are highly likely females of Cernyia ranrunensis ( Matsumura, 1927) , comb. n. and/or Tarika emberifera (Wu, Fu & Shih, 2021) , both described from male specimens. However, it will be possible to introduce new synonymies only after the genitalia structures of the type specimens of formosicola and tomponis have been studied.