Elachista (Aphelosetia) cirrhoplica Kaila, 2012, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kaila, Lauri
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Elachistidae
Elachista
Elachista cirrhoplica

description: Elachista (Aphelosetia) cirrhoplica sp. nov.
Figs. 7, 8, 13
Type material. Holotype 3: Spain, Andalucia, Sierra Nevada, Cam. d. Veleta, 1600 m, 14.VI.1986 E. Traugott- Olsen leg. L. Kaila prep. 5369 (ZMUC). Paratypes (6 3): 2 3 with the same collecting data as in the holotype, L. Kaila prep. 4874, 5561 (MZH, ZMUC); 3 3 with the same collecting data as in the holotype except altitude 2230 m and the date 3.VII.1987, L. Kaila prep. 5330, 5367, 5368 (MZH, ZMUC); Spain, Sierra de la Yedra, El Molinillo, 28.VI.1992 A. Lastuvka leg., E. Traugott-Olsen prep. B. 22.12.92, E. nevadensis E. Traugott-Olsen det. (ZMUC).
Diagnosis. Elachista cirrhoplica externally resembles E. hedemanni, but tends to be larger and paler. As such, it is similar to E. nevadensis Parenti with which it occurs together (Figs. 14, 18); see Remarks below for the identification of these species. The male genitalia are as in E. hedemanni, but the uncus lobes tend to be longer. This is not, however, a safe diagnostic character due to overlapping intraspecific variation. The best character to distinguish these species is the shape of the digitate process which is distinctly narrower in E. cirrhoplica than in E. hedemanni.
Description. Wingspan 8.8–9.5 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 brownish grey, slightly serrate in distal third. Thorax creamy white. Foreleg outwardly leaden grey, inwardly pale ochreous, mid and hind legs pale, spurs of hind leg distally grey. Forewing ground colour 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, basal third of costa black; fringe scales concolorous with forewing, some of longer scales distally brown or dark grey, forming indistinct double fringe line. Hindwing pale grey concolorous fringe scales, medially largely translucent; underside of forewing grey, along margins creamy white, fringe scales white, underside of hindwing pale grey, medially translucent, fringe white.
Male genitalia. Uncus lobes about 1.5 times as long as wide, distally rounded, with a few setae laterodistally, separated by V-shaped incision. Gnathos shorter than 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 or basally slightly bulbous, joins cucullus at a right angle; distal margin of cucullus straight. Digitate process extending to 1/3 length of valva, basally narrow, distally expanded at costal side, dorsal margin concave; distally setose. Juxta lobe as long as digitate process, longest mesially where broadly rounded, mesial margin of juxta lobe basally straight, distally bent, 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 15 times as long as wide, nearly parallel-sided; coecum somewhat elongate, 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 nearly twice as long as diameter of phallus.
Female genitalia. Unknown.
Biology. Unknown. The species is montane, recorded specimens were captured between altitudes of 1600- 2300 m.
Distribution. Eastern Spain.
Remarks. E. cirrhoplica closely resembles externally E. nevadensis Parenti which occurs at the same area. The identification of these species requires the examination of genitalia where the lack of cornutus, shorter and thicker phallus, as well as the entirely different shape of the juxta lobes of E. nevadensis (Fig. 14) as compared to E. cirrhoplica will readily distinguish these species. The female genitalia of E. cirrhoplica are unknown. However, if it were similar to the other species close to E. hedemanni, the very large papillae anales (Fig. 18) of E. nevadensis as compared to the known species close to E. hedemanni might prove a useful diagnostic character.
description: Published as part of Kaila, Lauri, 2012, On species related to Elachista hedemanni Rebel (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae: Elachistinae), with descriptions of three new Palearctic species, pp. 28-39 in Zootaxa 3316 on page 38, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.281105