Elachista festucicolella Zeller, 1853

Kaila, Lauri, Baran, Tomasz & Mutanen, Marko, 2015, A revision of the Elachista dispilella complex (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Elachistidae), Zootaxa 3963 (4), pp. 517-560 : 530-534

Elachista festucicolella Zeller, 1853

Figs. 8–10 , 51–63 , 89–90

Elachista festucicolella Zeller, 1853: 415

Elachista klimeschi Parenti, 1981: 49 , nec Dufrane, 1957

Elachista klimeschiella Parenti, 2002: 151 . Replacement name for klimeschi syn. nov.

Material studied. Type material. Lectotype of E. festucicolella : LECTO-TYPE [rounded with blue margin]; 936 [handwritten]; 14. [handwritten]; Glogau, Zeller, 10/53 [handwritten]; Stainton Coll. Brit. Mus. 1893–134 [printed]; B.M. ♂ Genitalia Slide No. 19364 [correct slide number 19363]; LectoTYPUS Elachista festucicolella Z. TESTE U. PARENTI 1973 ( BMNH). Other material. Austria: Carinthia, Untergunschach, Sattnitzwände, LF3, 21.VI., 1 ♂, Ch. Wieser leg., L. Kaila prep. 3457, DNA sample 20954 Lepid. Phyl. (Coll. Wieser); Styria [Steiermark], Preg a Mur Gulsen, ca. 700 m, 16. IV.1941, 6 ♂, J. Klimesch leg., L. Kaila prep. 5870 ( ZSM); Italy: Piemonte, Varallo (Vercei, LI), Ponte Gula, M. 543, A133. 3. VI.1994, 1 ♂, reared from Festuca acuminata, P. G. Varalda leg., Elachista klimeschi Parenti, P. G. Varalda det., L. Kaila prep. 5428, DNA sample 16736 Lepid. Phyl. ( MZH); same data, except date 6. VI.1994, 1 ♀, L. Kaila prep. 5439, DNA sample 16737 Lepid. Phyl. ( MZH); Ortles, St. Caterina, V. di Gavia, 2100 m, 4.–5. VII.2004, 1 ♂, J. Junnilainen leg. (Coll. Junnilainen); Trentino, Alpi Adamello di Sopra Bedule, 2000 m, 12. VII.1959, 1 ♂, 1 ♀, E. Jäckh leg., L. Kaila prep. 4675, 4676 Coll. N. L. Wolff ( ZMUC). Poland: Jerzmanowice, 23. VII.1988, 1 ♀, J. Buszko leg. (Coll. Buszko); EB 68 Męćmierz, ad Kazimierz DLN., 15.VII.1996, A. Mazurkiewicz leg. (Coll. Baran); 2. VII.2008, 1 ♂, 3 ♀, 3. VII.2008, 2 ♂, 1 ♀, 6. VII. 2008, 1 ♂, 2 ♀, 30. VI. 2009, 4 ♂, 5 ♀, T. Baran leg. (Coll. Baran), 30. VI.2009, 2 ♂, 2 ♀, T. Baran leg., E. festucicolella . T. Baran det., L. Kaila prep. 5425, 5436, DNA samples 16825–16828 Lepid. Phyl. (Coll. Baran); Oblasy, 29. VI.1998, 1 ♂, A. Mazurkiewicz leg. (Coll. Baran); Pieniny Mts., Trzy Korony Mt., 850 m, 13. VII.1995, 1 ♀, 11. VII.2003, 1 ♀, 18. VII.2006, 2 ♂, T. Baran leg. (Coll. Baran); Slovakia: Doln Vestenice, 1. VII.1999, 1 ♀, I. Richter leg., Tokár prep. 8413, L. Kaila prep. 4373, DNA sample 21381 Lepid. Phyl. ( MZH); Rudnany, 10.VI.2001, ex pupa, 1 ♂, J. Ošust leg., Tokár prep. 7753, L. Kaila prep. 4376, DNA sample 21380 Lepid. Phyl. (Coll. Tokár); Velk Fatra, Majerova Skala, 4. VII.2000, 1 ♀, I. Richter leg., L. Kaila prep. 5444, DNA sample 21354 Lepid. Phyl. (Coll. Tokár); 24. VII.2004, 1 ♂, I. Richter leg., Gen. Pr. 8943 Tokár, L. Kaila prep. 5442, DNA sample 21351 Lepid. Phyl. (Coll. Tokár); Slovenia: Kozina, 400 m, 30. V.2008, 1 ♂, J. Junnilainen leg., L. Kaila prep. 5066 (Coll. Junnilainen).

Diagnosis. Elachista festucicolella is a unicolorous, dirty yellowish-white species with pale grey hindwings; the forewing colour varies to some extent, sometimes nearly white, often with faintly darker brown longitudinal areas. In its original description, Zeller (1853) compared it to E. dispilella , stating that E. festucicolella is larger, and also to E. argentella , stating that E. festucicolella is smaller, and the wing colour yellowish white [flavescentialbis], unlike the pure white of E. argentella , but like the smaller E. nitidulella . This characterization is in accordance with our observations. In male genitalia the cornutus group is characteristic of E. festucicolella , the spines very stout and blunt-tipped, and at least partly only loosely connected or separate. For the female, see the key.

Molecular characterization. The nine sequenced specimens of E. festucicolella showed a maximum variability of 1.71 %. Average distance between the specimens was 0.53 %. The genetically closest species was E. dispilella with 3.69 % minimum distance to E. festucicolella .

Redescription. Wingspan 8.5–11.5 mm. Labial palpus varying from creamy white to fuscous, length equal to diameter of head, scales of second segment distally long and somewhat raised. Head, neck tuft, thorax, scape and pedicel of antenna pale ochreous grey; flagellum dark grey. Foreleg inwardly leaden grey, legs otherwise varying from ochreous white to pale grey, spurs of hindleg darker grey. Forewing unicolorous, varying from chalky white to pale yellow with concolorous fringe, often with slightly darker brown longitudinal areas, basal half of costa narrowly black or dark grey. Hindwing grey with concolorous fringe along anterior margin, fringe otherwise white. Underside of wings grey with fringe varying from white to grey.

Male genitalia. Uncus lobes somewhat longer than their width [level of pressure applied in mounting the genitalia easily distorts this feature]; somewhat tapered distally, apex narrowly rounded, mesial margin distally convex, lateral margin weakly S-shaped. Spinose knob of gnathos oval-shaped. Valva twice as long as tegumen + uncus, nearly 5 times as long as broad, slightly bent as S-shaped, parallel-sided; cucullus elongate. Digitate process tongue-shaped, 0.25 times as long as valva, medially and distally with stout setae. Juxta lobes devoid of setae, mesially produced, mesial margin straight, joins the concave distal margin without an angle. Phallus 0.8–0.9 times as long as valva, bent, parallel-sided; cornutus cluster formed of about six separate or basally weakly joined, stout, blunt-tipped spines, group often divided into two approximate clusters; length of basal spines about half the diameter of phallus, distal ones as long as diameter of phallus.

Female genitalia. Apophyses posteriores slender, straight, 1.5 times as long as papillae anales. Apophyses anteriores about half the length of apophyses posteriores. Posterior margin of sternum 7 forming indistinct, shallow, bowl-shaped formation almost as wide as distance between apophyses anteriores. Ostium bursae invaginated in sternum 8, very narrow; colliculum posteriorly narrow, abruptly widening with short sclerotized band; ductus seminalis granulose, distance between its inception and ostium bursae about as long as apophyses posteriores; ductus bursae 4 times as long as apophyses posteriores, tubular, membranous, granulose, medially slightly sclerotized, incepted in corpus bursae with distinct border; corpus bursae large, pyriform, with small internal granules in median zone; signum narrow and long, dentate, boomerang-shaped.

Biology. Biological information of E. festucicolella from Poland is elucidated here. There it is rare, but locally rather abundant. The species is xerothermic, inhabiting psammophilous grasslands, as well as dry grasslands on calcareous, rocky ground. The larval stage is unknown in Poland. However, field observations by TB indicate that larvae are associated with two closely related narrow-leaved Festuca species in Poland, F. psammophila and F. pallens . F. psammophila occurs in sandy habitats of lowlands, and the rarer F. p al l e n s is characteristic of only calcareous grasslands of the Pieniny Mts. and the Polish Jurassic Highland. Parenti & Varalda (1994) also mention Festuca ovina , F. rupicola (for ‘ E. festucicolella’), F. acuminata , and F. ci ne re a (for ‘ E. klimeschi ’) as host plants. Adults of E. festucicolella are diurnal, and they can often be encountered sitting on leaves of F. psammophila or F. pallens during sunny and windless days. The species is univoltine, occurring from the end of June to the end of July, most numerously in early July. In Poland, the species has been recorded from lowlands up to about 850 m a.s.l in lower mountains. According to Parenti (1981), it can be found up to about 2100 a.s.l in other regions of Europe.

Distribution. Austria, France, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, ( Parenti 1981, see also account of E. bigorrensis below).

Remarks. Zeller (1853) stated that when he encountered specimens of E. festucicolella in a sandy place at the end of June, he thought initially that they might belong to E. dispilella which he had already described ( Zeller 1839). He found, however, that the moths were spotless, unlike E. dispilella he had collected in similar sandy habitat in May. He suspected that the specimens might represent small individuals of E. argentella ( Clerck, 1759) . However, flight period, detailed morphology, and habitat preferences of the newly discovered specimens did not exactly agree with those of the common E. argentella either. Consequently, he concluded that he had discovered a new species. Elachista festucicolella was originally described from material collected in Głogów ( Zeller 1853). In addition to the type locality, the species has been recorded only from only a few sites of the southern area of Poland: Jerzmanowice, Ojców ( Buszko 1990, the identification verified by T. Baran), the Pieniny Mts. (850 m a.s.l.) ( Baran 2000), Męćmierz, Oblasy, and Karczmiska ( Baran et al. 2007).

Specimens from Italy, collected in the vicinity of the type locality of E. klimeschiella , do not differ in any way from the holotype of E. klimeschiella depicted by Parenti (1981, as E. klimeschi ) or E. festucicolella . Therefore, E. klimeschiella is considered a junior synonym of E. festucicolella , syn. nov. There is a specimen from Austria with barcode differentiated by 2.2 % from the nearest other specimens. No morphological differences between it and other specimens of E. festucicolella have been found. It is here considered conspecific with E. festucicolella .

Figures

FIGURES 2 – 13. Adults of Elachista spp. Scale 2 mm. 2. E. dispilella Zeller, ♂ lectotype (image in greyscale). 3. E. dispilella Zeller ♂ (Poland, Torún). 4. E. dispilella Zeller (holotype ♂ of E. steueri Traugott-Olsen). 5. E. dispilella Zeller (holotype ♂ of E. jaeckhi Traugott-Olsen). 6. E. dispilella Zeller (holotype ♂ of E. gebzeensis Traugott-Olsen). 7. E. curonensis Traugott- Olsen, ♂, holotype. 8. E. festucicolella Zeller, ♂ lectotype. 9. E. festucicolella Zeller, ♂ (Poland). 10. E. festucicolella Zeller, ♀ (Poland). 11. E. bigorrensis Traugott-Olsen, ♀, holotype. 12. E. distigmatella Zeller, ♂ lectotype. 13. E. distigmatella Zeller, ♂ (Italy).

FIGURES 50 – 51. Male genitalia of Elachista spp. 50. E. curonensis Traugott-Olsen, holotype, B. M. 26342. Left: general image of genitalia. Right: cornutus group, juxta, and digitate process. 51. E. festucicolella Zeller, lectotype, B. M. 19363. Left: general image of genitalia, phallus in same scale. Right top: juxta and digitate process. Right bottom: cornutus as enlarged.

FIGURES 52 – 53. Male genitalia of E. festucicolella Zeller. Left: general image of genitalia, phallus in same scale. Right top: juxta and digitate process. Right bottom: cornutus as enlarged. 52. Poland, L. Kaila prep. 5425. 53. Italy, Piemonte, L. Kaila prep. 5428.

FIGURES 54 – 63. Male genitalia of E. festucicolella Zeller. Variation of cornuti. 54. Lectotype, Poland Głogów [Germany, Glogau], B. M. 19363 (number as corrected to original). 55. Poland, Pieniny Mts. (L. Kaila prep. 5417). 56. Poland, Męćmierz (L. Kaila prep. 5425). 57. Slovakia, Velká Fatra (L. Kaila prep. 5442). 58. Austria, Steiermark [Styria] L. Kaila prep. 5870. 59. Austria, Kärnten [Carinthia] L. Kaila prep. 3457. 60. Slovenia, Kozina, L. Kaila prep. 5066. 61. Italy, Gavia Pass, L. Kaila prep. 5065. 62. Italy, Lombardia, Gavia Pass, L. Kaila prep. 5072. 63. Italy, Piemonte, L. Kaila prep. 5428.

FIGURES 89 – 90. Female genitalia of E. festucicolella Zeller. 84. Poland, L. Kaila prep. 5436. 85. Italy, Piemonte, L. Kaila prep. 5439.