Elachista phantasma Kaila & Sruoga 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kaila, Lauri
name: Nupponen, Kari
name: Sruoga, Virginijus
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Elachistidae
Elachista
Elachista phantasma

description: Elachista phantasma Kaila & Sruoga sp. nov.
Figs 6, 34, 35
Type material.
Holotype. KYRGYZSTAN • ♂; Alai Mts., 3220 m, nr. Kashka-Suu village; 39.40573 ° N, 72.32005 ° E; 21 Jul. 2010; K. Nupponen & R. Haverinen leg.; L. Kaila prep. 6151, DNA sample 22527 Lepid Phyl.; RCNupp, to be deposited in MZH.
Paratype. KYRGYZSTAN • 2 ♂; Alai Mts., 2820 m, Tengiz-Bai Pass gate; 39.35290 ° N, 72.15321 ° E; 24 Jul. 2010; K. Nupponen & R. Haverinen leg.; L. Kaila prep. 6150, DNA sample 22526 Lepid Phyl.; RCNupp; MZH.
Diagnosis.
E. phantasma is a large, narrow-winged species with forewings mottled ochreous grey, lacking distinct markings. In wing pattern, E. phantasma is similar to many species treated here, but it can be most easily distinguished by the very small cornutus in the male genitalia.
Description.
Wingspan 12.5–13.0 mm. Labial palpus as long as diameter of head, off-white, somewhat fuscous below. Head, neck tuft, scape and pedicel of antenna white; tegula and thorax fuscous; flagellum grey. Legs ochreous white. Forewing ground colour consisting of off-white scales that are distally ochreous grey, variably in some areas less, in others more densely, fringe concolorous, sparsely scattered with grey-tipped scales, and forming dark grey fringe line. Hindwing pale grey with concolorous fringe. Underside of wings grey with slight yellowish hue.
Male genitalia. Uncus lobe as long as broad at its broadest point, distally round, with few short setae distolaterally, incision separating uncus lobes 0.7 of length of uncus. Spinose knob of gnathos oval, 1.3–1.6 × as long as broad. Valva 3.5 × as long as broad at its broadest point in the middle; costa strongly convex medially, distinctly emarginated in its distal third; sacculus basally bent, slightly concave beyond middle; cucullus somewhat curved and weakly bent towards costa. Digitate process small, about 1 / 6 as long as of valva, basally narrow, distally slightly dilated, blunt and setose, ventral margin weakly convex. Juxta lobes widely separated from each other with U-shaped incision, medially produced forming lobe, being 2 × as long as broad; median and lateral margin of median lobe straight, parallel-sided; distal margin with a few short setae; lateral process long and broad; lateral margin concave; median plate with shallow dorsally directed median sac. Vinculum small, with minute saccus. Phallus about 0.7 × as long as valva, straight, 5–6 × as long as broad at its broadest place near base, distally slightly narrowed beyond prominent lateral swelling at distal third and bent beyond second, smaller swelling at apical 1 / 6; caecum short, round; vesica with one very small, indistinctly delineated spine-like cornutus.
Female. Unknown.
Biology.
Host plant unknown. Adults have been collected in July.
Distribution.
Kyrgyzstan.
Etymology.
From the Greek phantasma, - tos (ghost), refers to the partly indistinct, almost ghost-like cornutus. A noun in apposition.
DNA barcode information.
Intraspecific divergence distance (n = 2) 0.15 % (sample id’s: DNA sample 22526 Lepid Phyl; DNA sample 22527 Lepid. Phyl.). Nearest neighbor is E. multipunctata with 4.76 % divergence.
description: Published as part of Kaila, Lauri, Nupponen, Kari & Sruoga, Virginijus, 2025, On species of the Elachista bedellella group (Gelechioidea, Elachistidae, Elachistinae) similar with E. rudectella Stainton, 1851 and E. graeca Parenti, 2002, with descriptions of five new species, pp. 103-136 in Nota Lepidopterologica 48 on pages 103-136, DOI: 10.3897/nl.48.142483