Elachista sp. nr. grandella

Kaila, Lauri, 2015, The Elachista dispunctella (Duponchel) complex (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae) revisited, with exceptional level of synonymy, Zootaxa 3980 (3), pp. 301-358 : 318

Elachista sp. nr. grandella and E. dalmatiensis (OTU 16 in Mutanen et al. (2015))

Material studied. Italy: 46°29’49’’N, 13°20’47’’E, prov. Udine, Valle di Uccea, 3 km N Uccea, 900 m, 1 ♂, P. Huemer leg., DNA sample 22211 Lepid. Phyl. ( TLMF); 42°26.9’N, 13°34.3’E, Prov. L’Aquila NP Gran Sasso, Campo Imperatore, E Observatorio, 2010 m, 13. VII.2010, 3 ♂, P. Huemer leg., L. Kaila prep. 5831, DNA sample 22209 ( TLMF). Slovenia: 46°26’18,7’’N, 13°38’77’’E, Juliske Alpe, Veliki Mangart, 1820 m, 9. VIII.2010, 15 ♂, P. Huemer leg., L. Kaila prep. 5579, 5580, 5581, 5462, DNA samples 16988, 20822, 20824–7, 20840 ( TLMF).

Remarks. The barcodes of these specimens are uniform and are significantly different from other species, and form their own cluster (OTU 16 in Mutanen et al. (2015)). This taxon generally matches the description of E. grandella (barcode unknown), but seems to be somewhat smaller and more narrow-winged, also with narrower valva. These taxa differ from E. dispunctella by their shorter phallus as compared to the length of the valva. The relative length of the phallus to valva is also similar in the smaller E. dalmatiensis . It also differs markedly by its barcode. The climate of the type locality of E. grandella in eastern Austria and the other known locality in Hungary is dry, thus quite different from that of OTU 16 whose occurrence sites have a very high rainfall (Peter Huemer, personal communication). The samples of OTU 16 are from a distant area, separated by Alps and Balkan mountains, from the known range of E. grandella . Due to these reasons the association of these specimens to E. grandella seems unwarranted. It is possible, and perhaps more likely, that these specimens represent an undescribed, cryptic species. The discovery of the female of E. grandella , E. dalmatiensis and OTU 16 might help to resolve the taxonomic status of these taxa.