Elachista belona 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 belona

description: Elachista belona Kaila & Sruoga sp. nov.
Figs 19–20, 21–24, 42, 43, 50
Type material.
Holotype. RUSSIA • ♂; Tuva Rep., E. Tannu-Ola Mts., 1000 m, Irbitei region, stony steppe slopes; 50.44 ° N, 93.08 ° E; 13–16 Jun. 1995; J. Jalava & J. Kullberg leg.; L. Kaila prep. 2198; MZH.
Paratypes. RUSSIA • 1 ♂; same collecting date as in holotype; L. Kaila prep. 1646; MZH; • 4 ♂; Tuva Rep., E. Tannu-Ola Mts., 1250 m, 5 km ENE Khol-Oozha, steppe slopes; 50.45 ° N, 94.29 ° E; 16–19 Jun. 1995; L. Kaila prep. 1645, 2195, 2196, 2197, DNA sample 2218 Lepid. Phyl.; MZH; • 2 ♂, 1 ♀; Tuva Rep., Ust-Ujuk, steppe hills; 52.04 ° N, 92.44 ° E; 3–5 Jun. 1995; L. Kaila prep. 4419, DNA sample 2217 Lepid. Phyl.; MZH; • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; 40 km N. Irkutsk, steppe slope, ad luc; 52.82 ° N, 104.41 ° E; 1–3 Jun. 1984; K. Mikkola & M. Viitasaari leg.; L. Kaila prep. 2203; MZH; • 1 ♂; Buryatia, 35 km SW Ulan-Ude, 700 m, Ivolginsk-Taphar, steppe hill; 51.40 ° N, 107.20 ° E; 7 May 1998; J. Kullberg leg.; L. Kaila prep. 3162; MZH; • 2 ♂; Khamar-Daban Mts., 700 m, Murtoy river, 6 km NW Gusinoe ozero village; 51.11– 13 ° N, 106.10– 12 ° E; 19 Jun. 2002; K. Nupponen leg.; L. Kaila prep. 4160, 4162, DNA sample 20848 Lepid. Phyl.; • 3 ♂; the same locality; 27 May – 4 Jun. 2006, DNA sample 22220 Lepid. Phyl.; RCNupp, 1 ♂ MZH; • 1 ♂; SW. Buryatia, E. Sayan Mts., 1450 m, 2 km E. Mondy village, forest steppe; 51.67583 ° N, 101.03473 ° E; 13 Jun. 2002; K. Nupponen leg., L. Kaila prep. 4157, DNA sample 22219 Lepid. Phyl.; RCNupp.; • 1 ♂; Chikoy valley, 550–600 m, 10 km S Novoselengnisk village, sand dunes / sandy steppe; 50.58– 59 ° N, 106.38– 40 ° E; 29 May 2006; K. Nupponen leg.; RCNupp.; • 1 ♂; Altai, Kosh-Agashk region, Tjurgyny & Ugynskogo Trakta, 1500 m, ad luc; 44.99 ° N, 88.64 ° E; 7 Jul. 2001; O. Bidzilya leg.; L. Kaila prep. 4434; ZMKU.
Diagnosis.
E. belona is a large species with the forewing mottled brownish grey and a more or less distinct pale spot at 1 / 3 and an irregular streak at 2 / 3 of the wing length. In the male genitalia, the median margin of the juxta is convex at an obtuse angle beyond the middle, and the rather slender phallus resembles that in E. nolckeni. However, the uncus lobes in E. belona are not tapered to a pointed apex as in E. nolckeni, which well separates these two species. The female genitalia of E. belona are highly distinctive, with a rounded and somewhat dentate signum, unlike the other species with known females treated here.
Description.
Male. Wingspan 10.0–12.0 mm. Labial palpus 1.2 × diameter of head, off-white above, fuscous below. Head, neck tuft, thorax, scape and pedicel of antenna off-white, tegula grey; flagellum leaden grey, faintly annulated with paler grey rings. Foreleg dark grey, midleg off-white, tarsal articles grey, distally white; hindleg pale ochreous, spurs and tarsal articles pale grey. Forewing ground colour off-white, variably covered by brownish grey-tipped scales, indistinct pale spot at 1 / 3 of costa and pale fascia at about 2 / 3 wing length; these may be nearly invisible; between them often darker grey pattern; fringe concolorous, scattered with grey-tipped scales forming indistinct fringe line. Hindwing grey, fringe cream-coloured. Underside of forewing dark grey, fringe costally cream-coloured, underside of hindwing dark grey in costal third, otherwise grey, fringe pale grey, variably with yellow bases of scales.
Female. Otherwise as male, but often ochreous-coloured; annulation of flagellum more distinctive.
Male genitalia. Uncus lobe long and narrow, 1.4 × as long as broad, distally round, with few short setae distolaterally, incision separating uncus lobes 0.7 × as long as uncus. Spinose knob of gnathos oval, nearly twice as long as broad. Valva 3.4–3.7 × as long as broad at its broadest point in the middle; costa strongly convex medially, distinctly emarginated in its distal third; sacculus basally bent, otherwise almost straight, joining cucullus at a right angle, distal margin of cucullus straight, bent towards costa. Digitate process 1 / 8–1 / 6 as long as valva, distally dilated, blunt and setose. Juxta lobes widely separated from each other, medially produced; median margin bent at obtuse angle beyond middle; distal margin with a few short setae; lateral process narrow and tapered; lateral margin concave; median plate with shallow posteriorly directed median sac. Vinculum small, often with short, narrow saccus. Phallus narrow, about 0.6 × as long as valva, straight, 6–10 × as long as broad at its broadest place near apex, distally slightly narrowed beyond swelling at distal fourth; caecum somewhat elongate; vesica with one cornutus formed as stout tooth arising from indistinct sclerotized plate, about 0.15 × of the length of phallus.
Female genitalia. Papilla analis membranous, round, ventrally connected with inverted Y-shaped sclerotization. Apophysis posterioris slightly longer than papilla analis; apophysis anterioris almost as long as apophysis posterioris. Ostium bursae narrow, dorsal wall without scobination. Antrum short and narrow, colliculum swollen and oval-shaped, 2 / 3 as long as apophysis posterioris. Remaining part of ductus bursae narrow, membranous and joining corpus bursae without distinct border. Corpus bursae oval, with small, laterally somewhat dentate signum surrounded by wrinkled area with some internal spines.
Biology.
Host plant unknown. Adults have been collected at light from early May until early July. The species inhabits different kinds of steppe slopes at elevations ranging between approximately 500–1500 m.
Distribution.
Russia: S. Siberia, Buryatia, Tuva.
Etymology.
From the Greek: belone, f. (needle, arrowhead, dart; gar). Refers to the arrowhead-shaped cornutus. A noun in apposition.
DNA barcode information.
Maximum intraspecific divergence distance (n = 5) 1.07 % (sample id’s: DNA samples 20848, 22217, 22218, 22219, 2220 Lepid. Phyl.). Nearest neighbor is E. atrisquamosa with 5.72 % divergence.
Remarks.
Association of male and female is confirmed by DNA barcodes.
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