Catharia

Catharia is a monotypic moth genus described by Julius Lederer in 1863. It contains the single species Catharia pyrenaealis described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1843. It is found in Central Europe.^[2]

Catharia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Crambidae
Subfamily:	Glaphyriinae Minet, 1982
Genus:	Catharia Lederer, 1863
Species:	C. pyrenaealis
Binomial name
Catharia pyrenaealis (Duponchel, 1843)[1]
Synonyms
Hercyna pyrenaealis Duponchel, 1843 Hercyna simplonialis Heydenreich, 1851 Catharia simplonialis Hercyna simplonialis Herrich-Schäffer, 1848

The genus, which was formerly placed in the disputed monotypic subfamily Cathariinae, is now placed in the subfamily Glaphyriinae according to a pylogenetic analysis based on gene data.^[3] Different authors treat Catharia simplonialis as either a valid species or a subspecies of Catharia pyrenaealis.

The larvae of C. pyrenaealis are recorded to feed on the Caryophyllaceae Heliosperma alpestre.^[4]