Zitha Walker, 1866

Irungbam, Jatishwor Singh & Mally, Richard, 2025, A new species of Zitha Walker, 1866 and three new records of pyraloid moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from India, Zootaxa 5653 (4), pp. 524-534 : 525

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5653.4.4
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub::C17153D7-1BB9-4AA1-8E24-A2B3F736D895
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15837505
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/25336C7B-FFCF-AC48-FF34-FD00FC64C194
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Zitha Walker, 1866
status

Treatment

Genus Zitha Walker, 1866 View in CoL

( Pyralidae : Pyralinae )

Zitha Walker, 1866: 1264 View in CoL .

TS: Zitha punicealis Walker, 1866 View in CoL , by monotypy.

Zitha View in CoL was described by Walker (1866) as a monotypic genus of Pyralidae View in CoL , with Zitha punicealis View in CoL (type locality: South Africa) as its type and sole species. Recent taxonomic studies of Zitha View in CoL were mainly conducted by Patrice Leraut, who synonymised generic names with Zitha View in CoL ( Leraut 2000, 2002), excluded Maradana Moore, 1884 View in CoL as bon. gen. from Zitha View in CoL , and redefined both genera ( Leraut 2006). Leraut (2007, 2009, 2022; see also Viette 2008) added 32 new Afrotropical species of this genus. Currently, Zitha View in CoL comprises 154 species, representing approximately 11.7% of all known Pyralinae View in CoL species globally ( Nuss et al. 2003 –2025). The Oriental region features 18 species of Zitha View in CoL , with 10 of them present in India: Z. imperatrix Warren, 1896 , Z. moorei (Rose & Pajni, 1978) , Z. pallidibasalis ( Hampson, 1896a) , Z. rosealis ( Hampson, 1896a) , Z. rufifascialis ( Hampson, 1896a) , Z. subustalis (Lederer, 1855) View in CoL , Z. tactilis (Swinhoe, 1890) View in CoL , Z. torridalis (Lederer, 1863) , Z. tripartita (Hampson, 1917) , and the African Z. allutalis (Zeller, 1852) that is unlikely present in India ( Singh et al. 2022). The newly described species is the eleventh Indian representative of this genus, and the third Zitha View in CoL species recorded for the North-East biogeographic zone of the country, together with Z. tactilis View in CoL and Z. torridalis ( Joshi et al. 2021) .