Meharia

Meharia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Cossidae
Subfamily: Mehariinae
Yakovlev, 2011
Genus: Meharia
Chrétien, 1915
Species

See text

Synonyms
  • Blalia Rungs, 1943

Meharia is a genus of moths belonging to the family Cossidae.

Diagnosis

Meharia is distinguished from all other Cossidae genus by a number of apomorphous characters: the specific “tineoid appearance”, the reduction of the lateral processes of the juxta, the specific dorsolateral sclerotization of the asymmetric aedeagus and the specific ribbon – like epiphysis.

Description

These are small to medium sized moths, females larger; eyes naked; male and female antennae bipectinate along their length; proboscis reduced; legs long, slender; foretibia bearing a ribbon-like epiphysis; forewing elongate, rounded on the outer margin; forewing pattern has alternate dark and pale spots and bands transversely; hindwing uniform.

Distribution

Eleven species have been reported so far, primarily from the deserts and arid mountains of the Western Palearctic and Africa.

Species

References