A new record of Shiraia tripartita (Leech, 1900) from South Korea with notes on morphological affinity to the genus Corgatha Walker, [1859] (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea)

The genus Shiraia is monotypic, with the type species Shiraia tripartita (Leech, 1900). When this species was first reported from China in 1900, it was tentatively classified in the genus Tarache , which is in the subfamily Acontiinae. Possibly following the original classification, subsequent classifications in the early 20 th century placed it in the genus Eustrotia , synonymised with the genus Deltote in the subfamily Acontiinae. Thereafter, this species has not been studied in detail in terms of its taxonomic position or morphology for over 50 years. Subsequently, this species was classified as closely related to the genus Corgatha in the family Erebidae, subfamily Boletobiinae, based on the similarity of genitalic morphology. In this study, Shiraia tripartita was recorded from South Korea for the first time and the generic status of Shiraia was discussed. The detailed morphological characteristics of Shiraia tripartita have not previously been described and illustrated in literature. In this study, we report this species from South Korea for the first time and present a detailed re-description with high-resolution illustrations of adults and genitalic characters, along with a taxonomic history. Following the detailed morphology, our morphological comparison supported the affinity between Shiraia and Corgatha and we discussed the taxonomic implications for the genus Shiraia with Corgatha species. Based on our results, the diagnostic characters of Shiraia are also present in Corgatha species. Therefore, a further comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genera Shiraia and Corgatha is required with broader taxon sampling.