Elachista sulcsiella Savenkov, 2013

Savenkov, Nikolay, 2013, A new Elachista species (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae, Elachistinae) from Latvia, Zootaxa 3613 (1), pp. 97-100 : 97-98

Elachista sulcsiella Savenkov , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–6 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, labelled: “ HOLOTYPE ” (square red), “ LATVIA: Rīg., Rīga (Dreiḷi ṇi), ex l. 01.05.1989, N. Savenkov” (square white), “ L. Kaila, Prep. no 2085” (square white) - in the collection of LMNH . Paratypes (11♂ 10 ♀): 1 ♀, the same locality, ex l. 04.06.1988, N . Savenkov , L . Kaila Prep. 2489” ( LMNH) ; 3 ♀, the same locality, 06.06.1985, N . Savenkov ( LMNH) ; 2 ♂ 1 ♀, same locality, 10.06.1985, I . Šulcs - 1 ♂ in LMNH , others in coll. I. Šulcs ; 3 ♀, same locality, ex l. 03.06.1987, N . Savenkov ( LMNH) ; 3 ♂, the same locality, ex l. 01.06.1988, N . Savenkov ( LMNH) ; 1 ♀, same locality, ex l. 06.06.1988, N . Savenkov ( LMNH) ; 1♀, same locality, ex l. 02.05.1989, N . Savenkov ( LMNH) ; 1♂, LATVIA: Dob., Tērvete , 03.06.1986, I . Šulcs ( LMNH) ; 2 ♂, LATVIA: Dgp., Daugavpils, Mēžciems , 29.05.1987, I. Šulcs, coll. I . Šulcs ; 1 ♂, same locality, 16.06.1994, N . Savenkov ( LMNH) .

Description. Male ( Fig. 1 ). Wingspan 10–11 mm. Head, tegulae and thorax grey; posterior margins of tegulae pale grey. Antenna with uniformly dark grey flagellum. Labial palpi greyish, slightly curved, drooping to porrect, third segment pale grey. Forewing ground colour brownish grey, mottled with darker-tipped scales, fascia absent or represented by a very indistinct small light spot; costal and tornal spots rather indistinct, whitish, costal spot triangular, tornal spot almost quadrangular. Fringe grey; fringe line distinct, blackish. Hindwing brownish grey, with fringe of same colour. Abdomen grey. Hind tarsus pale grey with whitish rings.

Female ( Fig. 2 ). Wingspan 9–10 mm. Head with cream-white frons; neck tufts cream-white with darker-tipped scales; tegulae and thorax pale grey, posterior margins pale. Antenna having flagellum dark brown, annulated with pale grey, underside uniformly pale grey. Forewing ground colour dark brown, paler at the apex and basal part. Fascia whitish, slightly curved outwards in the middle; costal and tornal spots confluent, forming a distinct whitish fascia sharply angled outwards in the middle.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 3 ). Uncus lobes rather wide, with V-shaped indentation. Gnathos small, rounded. Tegumen short, with almost parallel sides. Valva clearly tapering proximally, costa strong with large hump before rounded cucullus. Digitate process ( Fig. 4 ) rather slender with almost parallel sides, apex blunt. Juxta lobes medially produced, rounded towards oblique, setose. Vinculum with a medial ridge, gradually produced into short, blunt saccus. Phallus ( Fig. 5 ) almost straight, distal end chisel-shaped, without cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 6 ). Apophyses slender, of almost equal length. Antrum funnel-shaped, ventral margin slightly anteriorly curved, dorsal wall spined before ventral margin; colliculum moderately narrow, twice as long as apophyses posteriores. Signum rather large and wide, an elongate dentate plate.

Distribution. At present the species is known only from Latvia in three localities.

Biology. Larva slender, yellowish. It presumably starts mining in the autumn. The only foodplant registered thus far is Koeleria sp. (Poaceae) . After hibernation it continues mining in spring (during April-early May). The larva becomes fully-grown in the beginning of May. Pupation takes place on the food plant or on the ground. The adults fly in late May- June; the species is probably univoltine. The biotopes are dry coniferous forest edges, forest cuttings or road edges. In the field all adults were collected flying before sunset.

Remarks. Elachista sulcsiella belongs to the Elachista bifasciella- group. In male genitalia there is some similarity with Elachista zernyi , which differs by the presence of two small cornuti and absence of medial ridge; also the uncus lobes of E. zernyi are smaller and more rounded than those of E. sulcsiella . The male genitalia are closest to those of the also externally rather similar E. irenae Buszko , known from Tatra mountains, and to the externally quite different E. talgarella Kaila , known only from S. Kazakhstan. From these it is separated by its smaller tegumen relative to other parts of the genitalia, the larger uncus lobes and the slenderer valva. Female genitalia have similarity to the externally quite different Elachista apicipunctella Stainton , and the externally more similar E. subnigrella Douglas with the similar shaped antrum. The dorsal wall of the antrum is, however, in both these species densely covered with coarse spines, while the spines are much smaller in E. sulcsiella . The sclerotized part of the ductus bursae is broader in E. subnigella and E. talgarella than in the other species. E. apicipunctella has colliculum 2.5 times longer than apophyses posteriores, while that of E. sulcsiella is shorter, twice as long as apophyses posteriores. The signum seems also to differ, in being smaller and less dentate in E. apicipunctella . E. apicipunctella is black with silvery markings, so it will hardly be confused with E. sulcsiella .

Etymology. The species is named in honour of Aleksandrs Šulcs, an outstanding Latvian lepidopterologist (1919- 1987).

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Elachista sulcsiella species nova: 1. male 2. female 3. male genitalia (prep. 2085 L. Kaila, Rīga, Dreiļiṇi,. 01.05.1989 ex l.) 4. tegumen, digitate process and juxta (same slide, enlarged) 5. phallus (same slide, enlarged) 6. female genitalia (prep. 2489 L. Kaila, Rīga, Dreiļiṇi, 04.06.1988 ex l.).