# Taxonomic Revision of the Relationship Between Coproptilia and Nosphistica (Lepidoptera: Lecithoceridae) with Descriptions of Two New Species and a New Record from China

## TL;DR

This study clarifies the taxonomic relationship between two moth genera, Coproptilia and Nosphistica, and describes two new species and a new record from China.

## Contribution

The study resolves the taxonomic confusion between Coproptilia and Nosphistica by integrating molecular and morphological data.

## Key findings

- Nosphistica should be synonymized with Coproptilia based on molecular phylogenetic analysis.
- Two new species, Coproptilia uniformis and C. funiuensis, are described from China.
- Coproptilia tawiensis is newly recorded from China, with the first description of its female.

## Abstract

The family Lecithoceridae is one of the most diverse and understudied groups within Lepidoptera. Within this family, the taxonomic relationship between the genus Coproptilia Snellen and its closely related genus Nosphistica Meyrick has remained confused due to morphological variations. In this study, we integrated molecular and morphological methods to discuss the taxonomic relationship between Coproptilia and Nosphistica. Our results indicate that Nosphistica should be synonymized with Coproptilia. Additionally, we report two new species and one new record of Coproptilia from China.

The family Lecithoceridae represents one of the most diverse yet understudied groups within Lepidoptera, with numerous unresolved taxonomic issues requiring urgent attention. Among these, the genus Coproptilia Snellen, a small genus within Lecithoceridae, has traditionally been distinguished from its closely related genus, Nosphistica Meyrick, primarily by the presence of vein R1 in the forewing. However, Nosphistica exhibits considerable interspecific variation in wing venation, complicating clear differentiation between these genera. In this study, we conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis of Lecithoceridae based on a concatenated dataset of 5350 bp, comprising one mitochondrial marker and six nuclear markers from 28 Lecithoceridae individuals. The result shows that (1) the topological results of both Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian Inference (BI) trees show the Coproptilia branch embedded within the Nosphistica branch, so Nosphistica Meyrick should be synonymized with Coproptilia Snellen. (2) Two new species are described from China: Coproptilia uniformis Yu, sp. nov. and C. funiuensis Yu, sp. nov. (3) Coproptilia tawiensis Park, 2009, is newly recorded from China, with the first description of its female. Finally, we integrated molecular and morphological evidence to examine the taxonomic relationship between Coproptilia and Nosphistica. Additional molecular data will be needed to further clarify the subfamily affiliation of Coproptilia sensu nov.