Elachista afghana Parenti 1981
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 afghana

description: Elachista afghana Parenti, 1981
Figs 1, 31
Elachista afghana Parenti, 1981: 54. Type locality: Afghanistan: Paghman.
Material examined.
Holotype. AFGHANISTAN • ♂; Paghman, 30 km NW Kabul; 35.62 ° N, 68.71 ° E; 20–22 Jul. 1963; Kasy & Vartian leg.; prep. U. Parenti 1047, Mus. Vind. 11055; NHMW.
Paratype. Slides: AFGHANISTAN • ♂; Band-e-Amir, 3000 m; 34.85 ° N, 67.23 ° E; Gen. prep. U. Parenti 967; wing prep. A. 17.7. 86 E. Traugott-Olsen, from the same specimen, Kasy & Vartian leg., Mus. Vind. 11105; NHMW. Specimen not available for study.
Diagnosis.
E. afghana is a large and lightly-coloured species with indistinct forewing markings. In male genitalia, it closely resembles E. multipunctata. The main differences between these two species are: 1) the incision separating the uncus lobes is short, approximately 0.5 the length of the uncus, whereas it is approximately 0.6 in E. multipunctata; 2) the apical tooth of the cornutus is approximately 2 / 3 the length of the cornutus, while in E. multipunctata it is approximately 1 / 2 the length of the cornutus.
Redescription.
Wingspan 12.0 mm. Labial palpus 1.2 × diameter of head, creamy white, with some grey scales below. Head, neck tuft, tegula, thorax, scape and pedicel of antenna creamy white; flagellum grey, weakly annulated with paler rings. Foreleg grey with tarsal articles distally white, legs otherwise off-white. Forewing white with concolorous fringe, sparsely scattered with grey-tipped scales, forming dark grey fringe line. Hindwing pale grey with concolorous fringe. Underside of forewing yellowish grey with concolorous fringe, underside of hindwing pale grey.
Male genitalia. Uncus lobe 1.5 × as long as broad at its broadest point, distally round, with a few short setae distolaterally, incision separating uncus lobes half the length of uncus. Spinose knob of gnathos about 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 slightly convex, weakly concave beyond middle; cucullus round, weakly bent towards costa. Digitate process small, about 1 / 6 length of valva, basally narrow, distally dilated, bent to posterior direction, setose. Juxta lobes widely separated from each other, medially produced forming lobes somewhat longer than broad, bottom of incision between juxta lobes strongly sclerotized; median margin of lobes somewhat concave; 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 short narrow saccus strongly bent dorsad. 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; caecum short, round; vesica with one straight or weakly bent cornutus formed as elongate tooth arising from short, sclerotized plate, length of cornutus about 0.1–0.2 × length of phallus.
Female. Unknown.
Biology.
Host plant unknown. Based on the specimen available, adults fly in July.
Distribution.
Afghanistan.
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