Conopomorphina Vári, 1961

Triberti, Paolo, Staude, Hermann, Sharp, Ian & Lopez-Vaamonde, Carlos, 2024, Exploring the diversity of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera) in South Africa: host plants, distribution, and DNA barcoding analysis, with the description of nine new species, Zootaxa 5529 (1), pp. 1-51 : 11

Conopomorphina Vári, 1961

This genus is present in southern Africa and was extensively described by Vári (1961: 106). It includes three species: C. ochnivora Vári 1961 (type genus), C. aptata ( Meyrick, 1914) and C. gypsochroma Vári, 1961 . The only synapomorphy reported for this genus is the wing venation, in which R5 and M1 are stalked, R2 is either absent or short and weak, and connate with R3. However, the male genitalia show two distinct species groups. The first group, which includes C. ochnivora ( Vári 1961, plate 57, fig. 8), is more closely related to Semnocera procellaris (plate 57, fig. 6) than to aptata + gypsochroma (plate 58, figs 1−2). It is characterized by a short tegumen with falces, a long tuba analis, a valva with a serrate dorsal margin, and a sickle-shaped aedeagus. The second group has a well-developed tegumen without falces, a short tuba analis, and a simple, and slender valva. The female genitalia do not exhibit any shared characters (plate 91, fig. 24). This suggests that Conopomorphina may be a polyphyletic genus.