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

Meharia acuta Wiltshire, 1982
Meharia avicenna Yakovlev, 2011
Meharia fischeri Yakovlev & Saldaitis, 2008
Meharia hackeri Saldaitis, Ivinskis & Yakovlev, 2011
Meharia incurvariella Chrétien, 1915
Meharia incurvariella incurvariella Chrétien, 1915
Meharia incurvariella persica (Wiltshire, 1946)
Meharia murphyi Yakovlev, 2013
Meharia philbyi Bradley, 1952
Meharia scythica D. Komarov et Zolotuhin, 2005
Meharia semilactea (Warren et Rothschild, 1905)
Meharia tancredii Sutton, 1963
Meharia tanganyikae Bradley, 1952
Meharia yakovlevi Saldaitis & Ivinskis, 2010