Elachista pellineni Sruoga & Kaila, 2019

Sruoga, Virginijus, Kaila, Lauri & Rocienė, Agnė, 2019, The Elachistinae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea, Elachistidae) of Thailand, with description of eight new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 574, pp. 1-34 : 12-16

Elachista pellineni Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2D8B8809-389A-486E-B79A-6EA153F34425

Figs 24–39

Diagnosis

Elachista pellineni Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov. is a small species with peculiarly coloured forewings ( Figs 24 , 35 ) and dorsoventrally flattened head. In wing pattern and male genitalia, the new species is comparable to E. heteroplaca (for illustrations, we refer to Kaila 1998: figs 1–5) and E. oryx Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov., known from the same locality. However, E. pellineni Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov. is distinguishable by the much longer digitate processes, the juxta lobe strongly produced posteriorly and the wider uncus lobes. The female genitalia are very distinctive with the invagination of integument between sterna 7 and 8 densely filled with dark scales.

Etymology

The species named after Markku J. Pellinen, who collected the type material.

Type material

Holotype

THAILAND • ♂; Lampang, Muban Phichai ; 18°18ʹ15ʺ N, 99°31ʹ06ʺ E; 20 May 2013; M.J. Pellinen leg.; MZH VS2 / 23.11.18.

Paratypes

THAILAND • 1 ♂; same locality as for holotype; 27 Sep. 2016; M.J. Pellinen leg; MZH VS1 / 22.11.18 • 1 ♀; Phichai; 18°20ʹ42ʺ N, 99°32ʹ52ʺ E; 28 May 2004; M.J. Pellinen leg.; MZH VS1 / 24.11.18 .

Description

Male

EXTERNAL CHARACTERS ( Figs 24–25 ). Forewing length 2.6–2.8 mm; wingspan 5.8–6.2 mm (n = 2). Head: frons shiny, creamy white; vertex and neck tuft brownish white, some scales with dark brown tips; labial palpus upwards curved, about 1.7 times as long as width of head, creamy white, third segment medially with few dark brown scales on outer side; scape creamy white below, with few dark brown scales above, without pecten; flagellum creamy white below, greyish brown above, annulated with paler rings, last flagellomere creamy white. Thorax grey brown. Forewing: ground colour greyish brown, costa narrowly dark except at 1/₅ where indistinctly delimited oblique white streak and at 2/5 where larger oblique white streak almost reaches fold; in the middle of wing at fold dark brown spot formed of raised scales; tornal area whitish; narrow longitudinal blackish brown stripe to apex of wing; fringe scales brownish grey, fringe line blackish brown. Hindwing and its fringe scales brownish grey.

MALE GENITALIA ( Figs 26–34 ). Uncus lobes widely apart from each other, elongate, basally dilated, distally distinctly broadened, ventral surface densely covered with long, hair-like scales. Tegumen short, anterior margin dorsomedially strongly and widely indented, almost meeting posterior margin. Basal arms of gnathos very long, basally strongly melanized, and strongly bent towards posterior direction, apically fused and covered with several tiny spines; spinose knob small, spinose area directed apically. Costa of valva weakly concave; from distal fold of costa long, strongly sclerotized spine, length of which about 2/5 of that of valva. Cucullus divided into two lobes: wide triangular lobe where sacculus meets cucullus, and another longer, distally expanded lobe in costal side. Digitate process very long and narrow, more than 8 times as long as wide, distally slightly wider than in narrowest point, with a few setae. Median plate of juxta with posteriorly directed large and wide pocket at dorsal side. Juxta lobes medially strongly produced, median margin straight and distinctly sclerotized, distal margin with few tiny setae and dorsally directed group of long hair-like scales. Vinculum long, v-shaped, tapered to broad saccus. Phallus about 1.5 length of valva, basally dilated, weakly bent; caecum short, rounded with sclerotized ridge forming two small lobes; vesica with one large, bent cornutus, and with large group of slender spines, increasing in size distally.

Female

EXTERNAL CHARACTERS ( Figs 35–36 ). Forewing length 2.6 mm; wingspan 5.8 mm (n = 1). Similar to male, but flagellum thinner and darker, forewing darker.

FEMALE GENITALIA ( Figs 37–39 ). Papilla analis short and rounded, setose; setae on latero-basal part distinctly longer. Apophyses weakly curved, apophysis posterioris slightly longer than apophysis anterioris. Integument between sterna 7 and 8 folded as wide invagination densely filled by small dark scales in central part. Anterior margin of abdominal segment 7 reinforced, tergum 7 with distinct semicircular invagination. Antrum-colliculum complex evenly bent, tapering, inner side posteriorly with dense internal spines and a few longitudinal folds. Ductus bursae short and wide, membranous. Ductus seminalis incepted at the border of colliculum and membranous part of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae with dense internal spines. Signum boomerang-shaped, medially broadest, margins dentate laterally.

Biology

Unknown.

Flight period

Based upon three specimens available, adults fly in May and September.

Distribution

So far this species is known only from northern Thailand.

Figures

Figs 24–27. Elachista pellineni Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (MZH VS2/23.11.18). 24. Adult. 25. Head, latero-frontal view. 26. General view of male genitalia (phallus removed). 27. Phallus. Scale bars: 24–25 = 1 mm; 26–27 = 0.1 mm.

Figs 28–34. Elachista pellineni Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov., male genitalia, holotype, ♂ (MZH VS2/23.11.18, in glycerol before permanent mounting in Euparal). 28. Lateral view. 29. Juxta, lateral view. 30. Proximal part of phallus. 31. Distal part of phallus. 32. Juxta region and gnathos. 33. Uncus lobes, dorsal view. 34. Distal part of abdomen, dorsal view. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Figs 35–39. Elachista pellineni Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (MZH VS1/24.11.18). 35. Adult. 36. Head, latero-frontal view. 37. Female genitalia. 38. Antrum. 39. Scale from antrum. Scale bars: 35–36 = 1 mm; 37–38 = 0.1 mm; 39 = 0.03 mm.