Elachista platamodes Kaila & Nupponen 2018, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kaila, Lauri
name: Nupponen, Kari
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Elachistidae
Elachista
Elachista platamodes

description: Elachista platamodes Kaila, sp. nov.
Figs. 18, 42
Material examined. Type material: holotype ♂: Croatia, Biokovo Mts., Vošac, 1370 m, 27.vi.2006, Z. Tokár leg. (L. Kaila prep. 5593, DNA sample 22163 Lepid. Phyl; Coll. Tokár).
Diagnosis. E. platamodes is more broad-winged than any other species in the whole E. dispilella group. As such, it externally rather resembles several species in the E. catalana and E. pollutella species groups whose genitalia, however, are readily distinguished from any species in the E. dispilella group (cf. Kaila 2011b, c). The male genitalia of E. platamodes closely resemble those of E. bimaculata and E. semnani, by having a long and acute-tipped juxta lobe. See the key as well as the diagnosis of E. bimaculata for identification of these species by male genitalia.
Molecular characterization. One specimen was available for molecular study. Of the species included the closest taxon in terms of similarity of barcodes is E. acutella (distance 3.84 %).
Description. Forewing length 4 mm. Labial palpus slightly upcurved, length a little less than diameter of head, chalky white above, fuscous grey below. Head, neck tuft and thorax white with grey areas, scape and pedicel of antenna white; scape with distinctive pecten formed of elongate, white scales; flagellum dark grey. Fore- and midleg brownish grey, laterally with white scales, tarsal articles distally pale; hindleg pale grey, spurs nearly black, tibia and tarsus above grey with distally pale tibia and tarsal articles. Forewing unicolorous, chalky white, with concolorous fringe. Underside of forewing dark grey, in basal third two pale longitudinal lines, fringe white. Costal side of hindwing pale brownish grey, hindwing otherwise translucent, pale grey with concolorous fringe. Underside of hindwing white, translucent, on costal side scattered with brown scales; fringe white.
Male genitalia. Uncus lobe rounded, sparsely covered by setae along distal and distolateral margins, lobes separated by narrow incision, depth of incision between them 1/3 the length of uncus. Spinose knob of gnathos elongate, as wide as uncus lobe. Valva 4x as long as wide in the widest point a little basal to middle, nearly straight, distal half slightly narrower than basal half. Cucullus indistinctly delineated, distally slightly produced towards sacculus. Digitate process 0.25x as long as valva, tongue-shaped, distal 2/3 with setae. Juxta lobe as long as digitate process, distally markedly produced, sharp-tipped, with a few setae distally; indistinct oblique fold from middle of distal margin; median margin somewhat convex, joining distal margin at acute angle; distal margin straight, somewhat truncate between fold and median margin, joining lateral margin at very obtuse angle; lateral margin concave; median plate of juxta posteriorly with dorsally projected curved lobe. Vinculum broad, u-shaped. Phallus 0.7–0.8x as long as valva, slightly bent, about 9x as long as broad at its broadest place near base, tapered into sclerotized, acute-tipped apex. Vesica with cornutus that consists of oval, indistinctly delineated, weakly sclerotized elongate plate with one blunt tooth.
Female. Unknown.
Etymology. The name platamodes is a Greek word, meaning ‘broad’. This refers to the forewing shape which is broader than in other species of the E. subula species complex.
description: Published as part of Kaila, Lauri & Nupponen, Kari, 2018, A review of the Elachista subula Parenti species complex (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae), with descriptions of nine new Palearctic species, pp. 401-433 in Zootaxa 4433 (3) on page 418, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4433.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1290285