Zizyphia Chretien , 1908

Kaila, Lauri, Karsholt, Ole & Revilla, Txema, 2024, The genus Zizyphia Chretien, 1908, with notes on its systematic position and the first record of Z. cleodorella Chretien, 1908 from Europe (Lepidoptera, Depressariidae, Cacochroinae), Nota Lepidopterologica 47, pp. 19-28 : 19

Zizyphia Chretien, 1908

Zizyphia Chrétien, 1908: 166. Type species: Zizyphia cleodorella Chrétien, 1908, by monotypy. Type Locality: Algeria; Meyrick, 1925: 36.

Diagnosis.

Zizyphia adults externally most closely resemble those of some species of Orophia and the predominantly East-Asian - Australasian genus Eutorna in having a similar wing shape, with the forewings being relatively narrow. The wing pattern is also similar to that of several Eutorna species and Orophia zernyi ( Szent-Ivány, 1942). The male genitalia of Zizyphia share with other cacochroines the vestigial or entirely lacking uncus, the well-developed tuba analis, divided mesial knob of the gnathos, the bilobed valva and the broad vinculum. Note that in the genera Cacochroa and Rosetea the gnathos is absent. The knobs of the gnathos are significantly larger in Zizyphia than in other genera. This seems to be the only male genitalia character that separates Zizyphia from Orophia . Externally, the species in these genera are also fairly similar, with the apex of the forewing being somewhat more acute in Orophia than in Zizyphia. In their male genitalia, unlike in Rosetea , the costa of the valva is weakly sclerotized, and the sacculus is extended into a prolonged hook. The vinculum is broad, but not as long as in Cacochroa . In the Eutorna species examined ( E. leonidi Lvovsky, one unidentified species from Australia, and another from New Zealand) the valvae are undivided. The females of Zizyphia differ from those of Orophia as follows: in Orophia the ductus bursae and the colliculum are narrow and elongate, being longer than the corpus bursae. The ductus bursae is otherwise not sclerotized. In Zizyphia the ductus bursae is broad and there is a separate, elongate sclerotization on its ventral side.

Remarks.

Chrétien (1908) did not compare Zizyphia with other genera, but placed it next to Holcophora Staudinger, 1871, Sophronia Hübner, 1825) (both Gelechiidae ) and Holcopogon Staudinger, 1879 (now Autostichidae : Holcopogoninae ). Meyrick (1925) stated that he had not seen material of Zizyphia , but based upon its original description, he doubted that it was related to Sophronia .