Elachista (Aphelosetia) hedemanni Rebel, 1899

Kaila, Lauri, 2012, On species related to Elachista hedemanni Rebel (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae: Elachistinae), with descriptions of three new Palearctic species, Zootaxa 3316, pp. 28-39 : 29-35

Elachista (Aphelosetia) hedemanni Rebel, 1899

( Figs. 1, 2 , 9, 10 , 15 )

Elachista hedemanni Rebel, 1899: 524 . Type locality: Austria: Vienna area, Mödling.

Elachista tauricella Sinev & Budashkin , in Budashkin & Sinev, 1991: 580. Type locality: Ukraine: Crimea, Karadag.

Material studied. Type material. Lectotype 3: [ Austria] Mödling, 28.IV.1893 Hedemann leg., Mus. Vind. 4564, R. Gaedike prep. 1341 ( NHMW). Other material. Austria: Austria inf. Heferlberg, Pfaffstätten 1.V. 1976 1 3 F.

Kasy leg. ( ZMUC); Austria inf. Glaslauterrieget, Gumboldskirchen 28. IV.1968 1 Ƥ F. Kasy leg., Gen. prep. 6472 E. Traugott-Olsen ( ZMUC); Bulgaria: Kresna 31.V.-2.VI. 2002 1 3 J. Junnilainen leg., L. Kaila prep. 5424 (Coll. Junnilainen); Czech Republic: Rana, 450 m, 20.V. 1985 5 3 2 Ƥ H. Steuer leg., Gen. prep. 6585 E. Traugott- Olsen ( ZMUC); Poland: Silesia, Breslau [now: Wrocław], 1 3 Staudinger & Bang-Haas (Blasewitz), Niels L. Wolff prep. 18/xi1961 ( MZH) (see Remarks); Russia: S. Ural, Cheliabinsk oblast: 52°39’N 59°34’E, 350 m, Arkaim res. nr. Amurskii village 15.VI. 1996 1 3 K. Nupponen, J.-P. Kaitila, J. Junnilainen & M. Ahola leg., 18.- 19.V. 2004 2 3 1 Ƥ K. Nupponen leg., L. Kaila prep. 4408 (Coll. Nupponen, Kaitila, Junnilainen, MZH); 53°57’N 59°03’E, 650 m, nr. Moskovo village, 26.V. 1998 10 3 T. & K. Nupponen leg., 4 3 J. Junnilainen leg.; 50°40-45’N 54°26-28’E Schibendy Valley, 20 km S Pokrovka village, 3.-6.VI. 1998 4 3 T. & K. Nupponen leg., 2 3 J. Junnilainen leg. (Coll. Nupponen, Junnilainen); 52°39’N 59°00’E, 300 m, 15 km S. Kizilskoye 27.V. 1998 1 3 T. & K. Nupponen leg. (Coll. Nupponen); Orenburg oblast: 51°23’N 56°49’E, Mt. Verbljushka, 6 km W Donskoje village 30.V. 1998 3 3 2 Ƥ, 1.VI. 1998 2 3 1 Ƥ T. &. K. Nupponen leg., 12.-14.V.1999 21 3 3 Ƥ K. Nupponen leg., L. Kaila prep. 3493, Coll. Nupponen, MZH); 51°13’N 57°37’E, 350 m, 20 km S. Mednogorsk, nr. Kidriasovo village 28.-29.V. 1998 1 3 J. Junnilainen leg. & Coll.; 51°37’N 57°34’E, 300 m, 30 km NE Kuvandyk 16.VI. 1998 1 3 T. & K. Nupponen leg. (Coll. Nupponen); Tuva Republic: Tuva 5 km W Kyzyl 21.V. 1990 1 3 V. Dubatolov leg. ( SZMN); 50°40´N 92°58’E, 750 m, L. Ubsa-Noor, shore meadow/Nanophyton steppe 15.VI. 1996 21 3 24 Ƥ J. Jalava & J. Kullberg leg., L. Kaila prep. 1647, 1648, 1943, 1944, 1947, 2211, 2213, 2494, 3974, 3975, 3981, 4410- 12, 5346, 5348, 5350, 5351, MZH); 50°16’N 94°54’E, 1250 mm, 25 km W Erzin, steppe/stony slopes 7.- 11.VI.1995 52 3 33 Ƥ J. Jalava & J. Kullberg leg., L. Kaila prep. 1644, 1650, 2210, 2212, 3973, 3976, 3982, 4403, 4404, 4406, MZH); 50°50’N 94°19’E E. Tannu-Ola Mts., timberline, Larix steppe 17.VI. 1995 4 3 J. Jalava & J. Kullberg leg., L. Kaila prep. 1544, 1657, 1666, 1939, MZH); 52°04’N 94°22’’E, 670 m, Ust-Ujuk, steppe hills 5.- 6.V. 1995 1 3, J. Jalava & J. Kullberg leg., L. Kaila prep. 1773 ( MZH). Ukraine: Chersonskaya obl. oz. Sivach o. Kujuk-Tuk 7.-9.V. 2000 1 3 Shjakov leg. ( ZMKU); Crimea, Karadagh 14.V. 1996 1 3 Yu. Budashkin leg. ( MZH); Provalskaya N. P. 17.V. 2000 1 3 A. Bidzilya leg. ( ZMKU).

Diagnosis. Elachista hedemanni is a small species of E. pollinariella assemblage. It can usually be recognized due to faint leaden grey impression of the forewing which is due to the dark grey underside colour penetrating through. Its male genitalia are characteristic with the very large and triangular juxta lobes, only similar to the other species treated in this paper, as well as the very large digitate processes that are distally considerably expanded at costal side and distally rounded; they are similar only in E. galbina sp. n. whose digitate processes are somewhat concave in dorsal margin; these species are readily identified by the narrower forewing of E. galbina as compared to E. hedemanni , as well as by the shape of the uncus lobes which are rounded in E. hedemanni , tapered in E. galbina . The shape of the digitate process is also the best diagnostic character between E. hedemanni and E. cirrhoplica . The female genitalia of E. hedemanni differ from the close relatives by its acute-tipped papillae anales.

Description. Wingspan 7.5– 10 mm. Length of labial palpus 1.2 times diameter of head, creamy white, second segment fuscous below. Head, neck tuft, scape and pedicel of antenna creamy white. Flagellum leaden grey, slightly serrate in distal third. Thorax creamy white, dusted with brown tips of scales. Legs outwardly leaden grey, inwardly pale ochreous, hind leg somewhat paler. Forewing ground colour slightly glossy, creamy white, scattered with black scales, with three indistinct yellow longitudinal lines: one along fold from base to apex and two others from middle of wing length to apex, one near costa and other near dorsal margin, all three lines fused near apex, dark underside penetrating through and giving pale leaden grey impression, basal third of costa black; fringe scales basally concolorous with forewing, along termen distally leaden grey, some of longer scales distally brown or dark grey, forming indistinct double fringe line. Hindwing grey above, with paler yellowish fringe scales; underside of both wings dark grey, fringe scales grey. Abdomen leaden grey.

Male genitalia. Uncus lobes varying from nearly rounded to about 1.5 times as long as wide, distally rounded, with a few setae laterodistally, separated by V-shaped incision. Gnathos relatively large, as long as uncus lobes, oval, three times as long as wide, tapered towards rounded apex. Valva four times as long as wide at its widest point in the basal 1/3 and in cucullus, costa convex in basal third, emarginated distally; sacculus straight, joins cucullus at a right angle; distal margin of cucullus straight. Digitate process extending to 1/3 length of valva, basally narrow, distally considerably expanded at costal side, distally setose. Juxta lobe as long as digitate process, longest mesially, mesial margin of juxta lobe straight, meeting distal margin at 45° angle, distal margin straight, setose, lateral margin concave, laterally produced and joined to valval process. Median plate of juxta without dorsally projected lobe. Vinculum short and broad, V-shaped. Phallus as long as valva, S-shaped, about 12 times as long as wide, nearly parallel-sided; coecum rounded; distal opening extended to distal 3/4 of phallus. Vesica distally with large granulose area, with elongate cornutus that is formed of twisted plate-shaped basal half and straight horn- shaped distal half; length of cornutus slightly more than diameter of phallus.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales triangular-shaped in lateral aspect, twice as long as broad in their broadest place, acute-tipped, ventral margin straight. Apophyses posteriores stout, straight, as long as papillae anales. Apophyses anteriores about 2/3 the length of apophyses posteriores. Ostium bursae in anterior margin of tergum 8, indistinct, width 1/3 of the distance between apophyses anteriores; no distinctive antrum present; colliculum sclerotized, as long as apophyses anteriores; ductus seminalis inserted posterior to colliculum; anterior part of ductus bursae tubular, membranous, three times as long as colliculum, increasingly granulose towards corpus bursae, with a few irregular-shaped internal sclerotizations, incepted in corpus bursae somewhat laterally; corpus bursae broad, oval, with small internal granules; signum large, laterally dentate, broad plate.

Biology. E. hedemanni inhabits exposed habitats. Holcus mollis L. and Stipa pennata L. ( Poaceae ) have been reported as larval host plants ( Gaedike 1975; Parenti & Varalda 1994).

Distribution. Distributed in Central Europe ( Kaila 2009), also recorded in southern parts of European Russia and Ukraine: Crimea, in the east in Russia: Tuva, and Mongolia ( Kaila et al 2003; Parenti 1991). Records from Sierra de Cazorla: Jaén in Spain ( Parenti & Dominguez 1995) may be attributable to E. cirrhoplica sp. n. and should be checked.

Remarks. Gaedike (1975) gives a redescription of Elachista hedemanni Rebel, 1899 . The illustration of the male genitalia is not drawn from the lectotype, yet it appears to be from a conspecific specimen. An image of the lectotype genitalia is here presented ( Fig. 10 ). A specimen in MZH labeled to be from ‘Silesia, Breslau’ by Staudinger and Bang-Haas may be of uncertain origin. The species is not known from Poland, and the labeling of Staudinger’s commercial specimens, as this one, is not necessarily correct. The collection in MZH contains other Lepidoptera , too, labeled to be from Breslau, yet not known to occur in Poland otherwise. New to Bulgaria.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. External appearance of Elachista hedemanni complex. 1, E. hedemanni Rebel, male (Russia, South Ural, Coll. MZH). 2, E. hedemanni, female (Russia, South Ural, Coll. MZH). 3, Elachista galbina sp. nov., 3 holotype. 4, E. galbina sp. nov., Ƥ paratype. 5, E. gilvula sp. nov., 3 holotype. 6, E. gilvula sp. nov., Ƥ paratype. 7, E. cirrhoplica sp. nov., 3 holotype. 8, E. cirrhoplica sp. nov., 3 paratype.

FIGURES 9 – 11. Male genitalia of Elachista hedemanni complex. 9, E. hedemanni Rebel, (Russia, S. Ural, L. Kaila prep. 3493). Left: general image of genitalia, phallus at same scale. Middle: cornutus, enlarged. Right top: juxta and digitate process. Right bottom: phallus, enlarged. 10, E. hedemanni, lectotype (Gaedike prep. 1341). Left: general image of genitalia, phallus at same scale. Right top: juxta and digitate process. Middle: enlarged apex of phallus with cornutus. 11, E. galbina sp. nov., holotype (L. Kaila prep 5291). Left: general image of genitalia, phallus at same scale. Middle: cornutus enlarged. Right top: juxta and digitate process. Right bottom: phallus enlarged.

FIGURES 15 – 16. Female genitalia of Elachista hedemanni complex. 15, E. hedemanni Rebel (Russia, Tuva, L. Kaila prep. 4411). 16, E. galbina sp. nov. paratype (L. Kaila prep. 5337).