Elachista levasi Sruoga 1998
Creators: name: Kaila, Lauri
name: Baran, Tomasz
name: Mutanen, Marko
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Elachistidae
Elachista
Elachista levasi

description: Elachista levasi Sruoga, 1998
Figs. 25–27, 77–80
Elachista levasi Sruoga, in Sruoga & Puplesiene 1998: 40. Elachista purella Sruoga, 2000: 55. Syn. nov.
Material studied. Type material. Holotype ♂ of E. levasi: photographs of the holotype of E. levasi (as a courtesy by V. Sruoga): Turkmenistan W. Kopet Dag, H- 800 m, 40 km E. Garrygala =Karak Kala, 16.VI.1993 V. Sruoga; VVE 150 m Gen. pr.; Holotype ♂. Photographs of the genitalia of the holotype of E. purella (as a courtesy by V. Sruoga): Kazakhstan, Karaganda Reg., Koksengir 40 km N Zhana-Arka, 14.VI.1958 ♂ A. Zagulayev leg. (ZIN). Other material. Greece: Makedonia, Promahonas, 41 km NW Serres, 25.–26.V.2001, J. Junnilainen leg., L. Kaila prep. 5027 (Coll. Junnilainen); Ukraine: Krim, Karadagh, 15. V.1989, 2 ♂, 24. V.1991, 1 ♂, 25. V. 1991, 1 ♂, 11. VI.1991, 1 ♂, 13. VI.1991, 1 ♂, 28. V.1992, 1 ♂, L. Kaila prep. 3428, DNA sample 16797 Lepid. Phyl., 24. V.1996, 1 ♂, DNA sample 16795 Lepid. Phyl., 26. V.1996, 1 ♂, DNA sample 16796 Lepid. Phyl., 28. V.1996, 1 ♂, all. Yu. Budashkin leg. (MZH); Turkey: [slide only examined] Asia min., 5 km N. Gümüschane, 1050 m, 12. VI.1969, 1 ♂, F. Kasy leg., U. Parenti 934, Mus. Vind. 5086 (NHMW); Turkmenistan: Mt. Dushak, 7.– 8. VII.1990, 2 ♂, V. V. Dubatolov leg., L. Kaila prep. 4810, 4811 (MZH, SZMN).
Diagnosis. Elachista levasi is a medium-sized, pure white species with relatively short labial palpi. The forewing colour distinguishes it from the pale yellow E. filicornella whose genitalia, especially the cornutus group, are rather similar; in addition, the valva of E. filicornella is considerably wider than that of E. levasi. The length of the phallus is equal to the length of the valva.
Molecular characterization. The analyzed two specimens of E. levasi did not show intraspecific variability. The genetically closest species was E. turkensis with 5.39 minimum distance to E. levasi.
Redescription. Wingspan 8 mm. Labial palpus ascending, white above, slightly fuscous below, length equal to diameter of head. Head, neck tuft, thorax, scape and pedicel white, flagellum brownish grey. Foreleg inwardly dark leaden grey, legs otherwise brownish grey. Forewing white with concolorous fringe, costa basally narrowly black. Hindwing pale grey, translucent, with concolorous fringe. Underside of forewing white or pale grey with white longitudinal area on posterior side of fold, veins visible as grey, fringe white. Underside of hindwing white or pale grey with concolorous fringe.
Male genitalia. Uncus lobes large, 1.5 times as long as wide at their widest point, mesial margin convex, apex pointed, outward directed, lateral margin slightly concave. Spinose knob of gnathos drop- or oval-shaped. Valva 1.5 times as long as tegumen + uncus, 6 times as long as broad in its median area, cucullus elongate. Digitate process tongue-shaped, 0.2 times as long as valva, medially and distally with stout setae. Juxta lobes devoid of setae, mesial margin straight, joining distal margin without an angle; distal margin mesially straight or laterally convex. Phallus as long as valva, 8 to 15 times as long as broad depending on the level of pressure applied in dissection, parallel-sided, slightly bent; distally tapered toward pointed and reinforced apex; cornutus group formed of several stout spines that are lengthening towards apex of phallus; length of apical spine about the same as the diameter of phallus.
Female genitalia. Unknown.
Biology. Unknown.
Distribution. Greece, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Turkey, Turkmenistan.
Remarks. The holotypes of E. levasi and E. purella appear to have differences in the width of the phallus and in the shape of the gnathos, which is drop-shaped in the holotype of E. purella, oval-shaped in E. levasi. Examination of further samples shows that there is continuous variation in the shape of the gnathos. Width of the phallus, as well as the shape of the cornutus group is affected by the amount of pressure applied in genital dissection. In the absence of any reliable differences, E. purella is considered a synonym of E. levasi, syn. nov.
A series collected by Yu. Budashkin from Ukraine: Crimea (reported as E. festucicolella Zeller by Budashkin & Sinev 1991) has been indispensable in examination of the variation within one population. The holotypes of E. levasi and E. purella fall within the variation observed.
description: Published as part of Kaila, Lauri, Baran, Tomasz & Mutanen, Marko, 2015, A revision of the Elachista dispilella complex (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Elachistidae), pp. 517-560 in Zootaxa 3963 (4) on pages 547-548, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/253431