Tagoria Yakovlev & Zolotuhin, 2021

Yakovlev, Roman V. & Zolotuhin, Vadim V., 2021, Revision of the family Metarbelidae (Lepidoptera) of the Oriental Region. IV. Genus Tagoria Yakovlev & Zolotuhin, gen. nov., Ecologica Montenegrina 43, pp. 38-43 : 39

Tagoria Yakovlev & Zolotuhin , gen. nov.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6CB913BA-9834-4732-9C03-0E3D0442930C

Type species: Arbela watsoni Hampson, 1900 (designated here).

Description. Male. Moths of small size, color dark. Antenna bipectinate, setae in medium third of antenna three times longer than antenna rod diameter. Fore wing short. Small transverse white spot discally (in cubital area), wide dark band postdiscally. Hind wing grey, without pattern.

Male genitalia. Uncus thin, slightly extending apically, with wide semicircular bifurcation, uncus halves thick, diverging to sides; subscaphium strongly extended dorsally, with narrow abdominal half; gnathos arms short, lamellar; gnathos lamellar, with long thin lateral processes; costal edge of valve almost smooth, outer edge semicircular, saccular edge curved, strongly sclerotized, saccus tiny, juxta lamellar, semicircular; phallus very small, equal to approximately 1/3 of valve in length, with strongly extended coecum, vesica without cornuti.

Female. Slightly bigger than male. Antenna bipectinate, setae in medium third of antenna twice longer than antenna rod diameter. Wing pattern resembles that of male, but significantly lighter.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales elongated, cylindrical; apophyses anteriores equal in length to apophyses posteriores, thin; ostium wide, oval; antrum strongly sclerotized, funnel-shaped, slightly narrowing from ostium to ductus; ductus short, thick, with two sclerites in lateral sides; bursa bag-like with vast scabination zones basally and apically.

Diagnosis. The new genus clearly differs from all the Asian representatives of the family in the following characters:

- the short, wide fore wing with a small light portion in discal area (cubitally),

- the tiny phallus,

- the very wide ostium and strongly sclerotized funnel-shaped antrum;

- the extended scabination zones on the bursa.

Composition. The genus includes two species: T. watsoni ( Hampson, 1900) and T. dierli Yakovlev & Zolotuhin , sp. nov.

Distribution. Nepal and India.

Etymology. The new genus is named after the Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore (1861−1941), who was a Bengali polymath – poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter.