Cuphodes Meyrick, 1897

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 : 15

Cuphodes Meyrick, 1897

This genus, which consists of 19 species, is found in various regions including the Indo-Australian (11 species), Afrotropical (5), Paleartic (2, Japan) and Neotropical (1). The biology of only four species is known, and they feed on three plant families: Ebenaceae (2), Caesalpiniaceae , and Fabaceae (2) (De Prins & De Prins 2011–2023a). In South Africa there are four reported species: C. diospyri Vári, 1961 , C. dolichocera Vári, 1961 , C. leucocera Vári, 1961 , which are endemic and C. melanostola ( Meyrick, 1918a) , discussed below, which is also found in central Africa and is reported to feed on Ebenaceae as a new host plant family. Vári (1961) redescribed the genus and considered an Indo-Australian genus, Phrixosceles Meyrick, 1908 , as its synonym based on a list by Fletcher (1929). However, a morphological comparison between the type genus Phrixosceles trochosticha Meyrick, 1908 (see plate 48, fig. 3 in Vári 1961) and the Cuphodes African species reveals that the venation alone can be referred as Cuphodes , but not the genitalia. In Phrixosceles , the tegumen is very long, with a shorter tuba analis, and paired processes arise from the ventral part of the tegumen (peniculi?). The sacculus also has a long, pointed process. These morphological characters confirm that Phrixosceles is a separate genus.