[1] The species is known from Early Oligocene, Rupelian stage, lake deposits near the commune of Céreste in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France.

oligocenica was first studied by Fidel Fernández-Rubio of Madrid, Spain and André Nel of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, with their 2000 type description being published in the journal Boletín de La S.E.A.

[1] At the time of description, a second fossil possibly from the same species had recently been discovered, however as it was being held in a private collection in Strasbourg, France, it was unavailable for study.

oligocenica is also the oldest member of the subfamily Zygaeninae and its presence in the Oligocene of France confirms the ancestors of the modern Palearctic genera Epizygaenella and Zyngaena were present in Europe before the Miocene.

oligocenica is unique, and leaves the phylogenetic position of the species uncertain, with the possibility it may represent an extinct genus rather than being a member of Neurosymploca.