Manatha Moore, 1877

Beaver, Ethan P. & Zwick, Andreas, 2025, Two genera newly recorded from Australia: Mahasena Moore and Manatha Moore (Lepidoptera: Psychidae: Oiketicinae), each with a new species, Zootaxa 5711 (4), pp. 563-578 : 572

Manatha Moore, 1877

= Manatha Moore, 1877 : pg. 346.

Type species: Mahasena albipes Moore 1877 , by original designation.

= Eumetisa Sonan, 1935: pg. 452, 454. Junior subjective synonym ( Sugimoto & Saigusa 2001).

Type species: Acanthopsyche ( Eumetisa) taiwana Sonan, 1935 , by original designation.

Diagnosis. A modern redescription and revision of this genus was provided in detail by Sugimoto & Saigusa (2001). They recognised the comparatively elongate and slender valvae of Manatha as an autapomorphic characteristic among the Oiketicinae . All moths recognised within this genus share many other more generalised characteristics such as broad wings, small size ( 14–20 mm wingspan), ventral valva process with two teeth, larvae with conical, weakly adorned bags. Many genera of the Oiketicinae are poorly diagnosed, with the strongest modern support of monophyly apparent from ongoing phylogenetic analysis. The similar and related genus Mahasena is comprised of physically larger species which have a distinctive vinculum with a lateral flare before the saccus. One life history detail shared by Manatha and Mahasena is that the larvae of both genera often affix the head capsule of the exuviae to the anterior aperture/collar of the larval bag, to the exclusion of other Oiketicinae . A defining life history characteristic unique to Manatha is that the penultimate larval exuviae is inflated and attached ‘headfirst’ to the posterior aperture of the larval bag during the final pre-pupal larval instar and ultimately through pupation. The purpose of this is unclear but it is perhaps a decoy utilised in predator avoidance.