Micrarbela, Yakovlev & Zolotuhin, 2021

Yakovlev, Roman V. & Zolotuhin, Vadim V., 2021, Revision of the family Metarbelidae (Lepidoptera) of the Oriental Region. II. Two monotypic genera - Ghatarbela gen. nov. and Micrarbela gen. nov. - from the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, Ecologica Montenegrina 42, pp. 103-108 : 105-106

Genus Micrarbela gen. nov.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8546F939-6346-42C7-8588-F05299D1D11E

Type species (here designated): Arbela minima Hampson, 1910 .

Description. Strongly sexually dimorph.

Male. Very small in size (not more than 12 mm in wingspan) dark-colored moths, antenna equal to 1/3 of fore wing in length, pilifers 3 times longer than flagellum diameter. Bundle of long dark hair-like scales on top of abdomen. Fore wing short, apically rounded, dark; hind wing dark with indistinct paler reticulate pattern.

Male genitalia. Uncus long, basally thin, distally gradually thickening, apically very thick, poorly expressed bifurcation apically as small crescent notch; gnathos arms basally thick, distally narrowing, long, gnathos small; valve very short, semicircular (length not exceeding its width), saccular edge sclerotized, with thin finger-like harpe; juxta wide, lamellar; phallus very short (three times shorter than valve), thick, poorly narrowing to apex, with robust uncinate cornutus twice shorter than phallus.

Female. Slightly larger than male; antennae simple; fore wing narrow and slender with protruded reticulate pattern of wide wavy whitish lines, hind wing narrow and slender (more than in males) chocolate brown without pattern.

Female genitalia were not studied.

Diagnosis. The new genus joins the smallest members of the family. They have poorly developed pattern on the male fore wing and very short semicircular valve (with equal linear length and width). Contrary externally similar genus ( Orgyarbela Yakovlev & Zolotuhin, 2020 ), anal tuft in male consists from very slender hair scales not widened at apex.

Composition. Monotypic genus.

Distribution. Sri Lanka.