Elachista nolckeni Sulcs, L. Kaila 1992
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 nolckeni

description: Elachista nolckeni Šulcs, 1992
Figs 29, 30, 46, 54
Elachista nolckeni Šulcs, 1992: 105. Type locality: Latvia, Riteri. Holotype ♂, depository not stated (not examined).
Material examined.
AUSTRIA • 4 ♂; Austria inf., Dürnstein; 48.397 ° N, 15.528 ° E; 6 Jun. 1938; J. Klimesch leg.; ZSM.
ESTONIA • 3 ♂; Saaremaa, Kogula; 58.259 ° N, 22.307 ° E; 16 Jun. 1992; J. Junnilainen leg.; L. Kaila prep. 645, MZH, RCJJ; 6 ♂; same locality; 4–6 Jul. 1994; J. Junnilainen & K. Nupponen leg; MZH, RCJJ, RCNupp; 1 ♀; Saaremaa, Kübassaare, 58.447 ° N 23.3064 ° E; ex larva, host Phleum phleoides, 2008; J. Junnilainen leg.; L. Kaila prep. 6382; RCJJ.
GEORGIA • 5 ♂; Great Caucasus Mts., 1870 m, by Juta Village; 42.33 ° N, 44.42 ° E; 18 Jul. 2015; K. Nupponen & R. Haverinen leg.; DNA sample 25479 Lepid. Phyl., DNA voucher FinBOL 2021 http://tun.fi/NH.466; DNA voucher FinBOL 2021 http://tun.fi/NH.467; MZH, RCNupp.
ITALY • 1 ♂; Bolzano, above Laatsch, steep open slope, 1180 m, uvl; 46.4043 ° N, 10.3138 ° E; 10 Jul. 2004; B. Landry & P. Schmitz leg.; MHN; • 1 ♂; Bolzano, Tubre, 1500 m, Castello di Sopra, afternoon; 46.3921 ° N, 10.2746 ° E; 29 Jun. 2003; Landry, Schmitz, Agassiz leg.; L. Kaila prep. 4832; MHN.
RUSSIA • 4 ♂ 1 ♀; S. Ural, Cheliabinsk oblast, Miass, Ilmen State reserve, 350 m; 55.01 ° N, 460.06 ° E; 26–30 Jun. 1997; J. - P. Kaitila & K. Nupponen leg.; L. Kaila prep. 3313; MZH, RCJJ, RCNupp; 1 ♂; the same locality; 10 Jul 1997; J. - P. Kaitila leg.; RCJPK; 1 ♂; the same locality; 24 Jun. 2001; K. Nupponen leg.; RCNupp. • 1 ♂; Cheliabinsk oblast, near Moskovo village, 650 m; 53.57 ° N, 59.03 ° E; 10 Jul. 1997; J. - P. Kaitila leg.; RCJPK; • 3 ♂; Caucasus, Kabarnino-Balkariya Nature Reserve, 2200 m; 18–19 Jul. 1989; Zagulayev leg.; Gen prep. V. Sruoga VS 363, VS 364, VS 365; ZISP.
SPAIN • 1 ♂; Hispania sept., Coll del Canto (Sort) 1650 m; 42.41 ° N, 1.13 ° E; 5 Jul. 1992; A. Laštůvka leg.; slide A 23.1292 (ETO), [Elachista occulta det. E. Traugott-Olsen]; ZMUC.
Diagnosis.
E. nolckeni is a silky white species with yellow bands in the middle and near apex of the forewing. The wing is variably scattered with raised, black scales. As such, it is more reminiscent of species such as E. pollinariella Zeller, 1839, E. heringi Rebel, 1899 and E. szocsi Parenti, 1978 in the E. argentella group rather than species of the E. bedellella group dealt with here. The male genitalia of E. nolckeni have elongate, pointed uncus lobes, resembling those of E. graeca and E. rudectella. E. nolckeni is readily distinguished from these species by its much smaller and curved cornutus. The male genitalia of Elachista ohridella and E. laurikailai closely resemble E. nolckeni. There is, however, not a cornutus in the vesica in these species. The forewing of E. ohridella is unicolorous cream coloured. Its genitalia are similar to those of E. nolckeni. E. laurikailai also differs from E. nolckeni by the shape of the juxta lobes which are significantly shorter in this species. The female of E. laurikailai was conditionally described by Varenne and Nel (2020) but unfortunately the genitalia dissection shown was rather unsuccessful and nearly no details can be seen from it. The illustration of female genitalia of E. ohridella provided by Parenti (2001) is likely a misidentification, depicting a species in the E. argentella group. Female is a little smaller than male.
Redescription.
Wingspan 8.0–10.0 mm. Labial palpus as long as diameter of head, yellowish white above, variably fuscous below. Head, neck tuft, tegula, thorax, scape and pedicel of antenna white, often with slight yellowish tinge; flagellum grey. Fore- and midleg grey, tibia and tarsal articles distally white; hindleg off-white, tarsal articles basally pale grey. Forewing ground colour silky white, with irregular yellow band in the middle and near apex, scattered with brown and black, raised scales; basal 1 / 3 of costa narrowly black; fringe concolorous, scattered with brown-tipped scales forming indistinct fringe line. Hindwing grey, fringe concolorous. Underside of forewing grey, fringe scales yellow, underside of hindwing grey, with concolorous fringe.
Male genitalia. Uncus lobe tapered towards pointed apex, 2 × as long as broad at its broadest point, with few short setae distolaterally, mesial margin weakly concave beyond middle, incision separating uncus lobes deep, 0.9 × as long as uncus. Spinose knob of gnathos oval, twice as long as broad. Valva 4 × as long as broad at its broadest point in the middle; costa convex medially, shallowly emarginated in its distal third; sacculus basally bent, otherwise straight; distal margin of cucullus almost straight, cucullus weakly bent towards costa. Digitate process small, about 1 / 7 as long as valva, distally slightly dilated, blunt and setose. Juxta lobes widely separated from each other with U-shaped incision, medially produced; median margin bent at obtuse angle beyond middle; distal margin with a few short setae; lateral process long and tapered; lateral margin concave; median plate with shallow posteriorly directed median sac. Vinculum short and broad, V-shaped. Phallus about 0.6–0.7 × as long as valva, straight, 6–8 × 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 cornutus formed as short tooth arising from elongate, bent sclerotized plate, length of cornutus about 0.1 × phallus.
Female genitalia. Papilla analis membranous with nearly round apex; ventrally fused with inverted Y-shaped connecting sclerotization. Apophysis posterioris about 1.5 × as long as papilla analis. Apophysis anterioris approximately 0.5 × as long as apophysis posterioris. Ostium bursae relatively narrow, round, ventral margin sclerotized. Colliculum long and broad, width almost 1 / 4 its length. Ductus bursae about 3 × as long as colliculum, narrow and membranous, with spines from middle to corpus bursae. Corpus bursae covered with two indistinct bands of small internal spines; no signum present.
Biology.
Larval host plant (s): Phleum phleoides (Baran 2002).
Distribution.
Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Georgia, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Russia (European part, southern Ural, Caucasus), Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine (Kaila 2019).
DNA barcode information.
Maximum intraspecific divergence distance (n = 23) 1.43 % (sample id’s: BC ZSM Lep 94917; DNA voucher FinBOL 2021 http://tun.fi/NH.467, 467; DNA samples KLM Lep 15568; DNA sample 25479 Lepid. Phyl.; TLMF 11086, 12301, 12316, 12333, 14952, 16592, 19472, 15331, 15381, 15466, 16809, 18122, 18123, 18446, 18556, 23717, 26223, 27725, 27797, 33418). Nearest neighbour is E. rosselloensis Nel & Varenne, 2019 with 5.08 % divergence.
Remarks.
Baran (2002) gave a detailed account of identification, immature stages and ecology of E. nolckeni.
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