Elachista cardiaca Kaila 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kaila, Lauri
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Elachistidae
Elachista
Elachista cardiaca

description: Elachista cardiaca sp. nov.
Figs 4, 13
Type material. Holotype ♂: New Caledonia, 22°6’S 166°40’20’’E Riviére Bleue 8.Nov.1986 R. Brown & O. Pellmyr leg. Genitalia slide by L. Kaila USNM 142,822 (USNM).
Diagnosis. Elachista cardiaca is a medium-sized species. Its forewing is pale grey with nearly black longitudinal plical spot at the middle of wing length at fold, and a small, rounded discal spot at 2/3 wing length in the middle of wing. As such, it externally resembles E. vespertina and E. dilobates. From E. dilobates E. cardiaca is readily distinguished by its heart-shaped spinose knob of gnathos, the narrower digitate process, the narrower phallus and the narrow, distally tapered valva as compared to those of E. dilobates. E. vespertina also has broader phallus and valva than E. cardiaca. The uncus lobes of E. vespertina are narrower than in E. cardiaca. E. cardiaca is similar to the species of the Australian E. paragauda species complex. Externally it differs from other species of this complex by the paler and more unicolorous forewing (the single specimen known is somewhat worn and therefore this character should be considered with caution). It lacks the longitudinal, broad, nearly white median area making a contrast to otherwise darker, mottled grey colour, pattern typical of all known Australian relatives. The male genitalia of E. cardiaca differ from other species of the E. paragauda complex by the shorter and less curved apical lobe of the phallus and the somewhat more bent and distally more tapered digitate process.
Description. Forewing length 4.8 mm. Labial palpus ascending, length 1.2 x diameter of head, white above with apex of third segment grey; evenly fuscous grey below except apex of second segment white. Head, scape, pedicel and neck tuft grey, mottled with darker tips of scales. Pecten formed of row of narrow, grey scales. Flagellum thick, dark grey. Foreleg varying from ochreous grey to dark, leaden grey, spurs ochreous; midleg ochreous grey with tibia and tarsomeres white distally. Hindleg pale ochreous grey, tarsomeres grey, distally pale. Forewing pale grey, along margins sparsely mottled with brownish grey scales; plical spot dark grey, elongate, at middle of wing length at fold; discal spot small, rounded, at 2/3 wing length in middle, outwardly bound by small white area; fringe scales concolorous with forewing colour, shorter fringe scales distally dark grey forming indistinct fringe line along termen. Hindwing grey, fringe scales concolorous; underside of both wings grey with concolorous fringe scales.
Male genitalia. Uncus lobes medially separated by U-shaped incision; lobe 1.5 x as long as wide, distal margin rounded, ventral surface distolaterally with cylindrical scales arising from erect pinaculae. Basal arms of gnathos 1.5 x as long as uncus lobe, distally separate. Spinose knob of gnathos somewhat elongate, tapered distally, caudal margin distinctly concave. Valva 4 x as long as wide at its widest point, medially somewhat broadened and evenly tapered towards apex; basal fold of costa straight, indistinct, distal fold narrow, triangular, broadest distally, extended to 5/6 length of valva, where cucullus somewhat twisted on top of costa forming low hump, distal fold well defined; sacculus evenly curved, without distal spine and joining cucullus without clear delimitation; cucullus narrow and elongate, distally rounded, slightly bent towards costa. Digitate process 1/3 length of valva, narrow, sickle-shaped, narrowest at 1/3 length, with setae medially and distally. Median plate of juxta rectangular, concave without lateral or posterior extensions. Juxta lobe with two setae at distal third, laterally produced; medial margin straight joining distal margin at an obtuse angle; distal margin medially straight, laterally convex; lateral margin concave. Vinculum narrow, U-shaped, without medial ridge. Phallus narrow, over 20 x as long as its width in the middle of its length, almost as long as valva, evenly curved in basal 1/3, medially and distally bent, broadest in basal half; insertion of ductus ejaculatorius dorsoposteriorly directed; caecum blunt, shorter than width of basal opening of phallus; distal opening extended to distal 4/5 of phallus; along distal opening small folded lobe that is joined to vesica; vesica without spinules or granules; cornuti absent.
Female genitalia. Unknown.
Biology. The specimen has been caught with UV light trap. The habitat is lowland rainforest on ultramafic soils, with dominance of Gymnostoma (Casuarinaceae) vegetation (Holloway (1979).
Distribution. New Caledonia.
Etymology. The name is derived from the latinized form of the Greek word kardia, ‘heart’. It denotes the heart-shaped gnathos of E. cardiaca.
Remarks. E. cardiaca is attributable to the E. paragauda complex on the basis of male genitalia; besides overall similarity, the apex of the phallus is similarly bent and shaped, and the spinose knob of the gnathos is heartshaped. This complex of species has so far only been known from Australia. The E. paragauda complex consists of a number of cryptic sibling taxa there (Kaila & Ståhls 2006). The representative of this complex are characterised by their bizarre mine shape, and all constituent species have been found to feed on Lepidosperma spp. (Cyperaceae) (Kaila 2011). This plant genus is also present in New Caledonia.
description: Published as part of Kaila, Lauri, 2017, First records of Elachistinae from New Caledonia: evidence of repeated dispersal events with Australia (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea, Elachistidae), pp. 536-550 in Zootaxa 4300 (4) on pages 541-543, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4300.4.4, http://zenodo.org/record/839266