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

description: Elachista vespertina sp. nov.
Figs 6, 15
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 142,815 (USNM). Paratypes: 2 ♂: New Caledonia 22°5’15’’S 166°26’40’’E Mt. Dzumac, 675 m, 2.Nov.1986 UV trap R. Brown & O. Pellmyr leg. (USNM), genitalia slides by L. Kaila USNM 142,814 (USNM), L. Kaila 6104 (MZH).
Diagnosis. Elachista vespertina is a nondescript pale grey species with plical and discal spots as the sole pattern on the forewing. As such, it externally resembles most E. cardiaca and E. dilobates. The genitalia with the very large spinose knob of gnathos and the narrow, tongue-shaped uncus lobes separate it from other New Caledonian species as well as all Australian species attributable to the E. cynopa group.
Description. Forewing length 4.5–5 mm. Labial palpus ascending, length 1.2–1.3 x diameter of head; fuscous white, second segment fuscous below. Head pale. Pecten formed of a few narrow scales at the base of scape. Scales of scape and pedicel pale grey, variably grey-tipped; flagellomeres unicolorous grey. Scales of neck tuft, tegula and thorax pale grey, dark grey-tipped. Fore femur and tibia grey; tarsomeres dark grey with pale grey distal rings; mid femur grey, tibia grey, mottled with dark grey-tipped scales, tarsomeres grey, distally pale; hind femur and tibia pale grey below, dark grey above, tarsomeres inwardly pale, outwardly grey and distally pale, spurs grey. Forewing ground colour pale grey, some scales distally brownish grey; fold broadly nearly white; plical spot elongate, dark grey, at 1/3 wing length on dorsal side of fold; discal spot small, grey, at 2/3 wing length in middle; fringe scales grey; underside grey with fringe scales concolorous. Hindwing grey, fringe scales concolorous; underside grey.
Male genitalia. Uncus lobes narrow, medially separated by U-shaped indentation; lobe 2 x as long as its width basally; gradually narrowed towards rounded apex; ventral surface distally with a few cylindrical scales arising from erect pinaculae. Basal arms of gnathos as long as uncus lobe, distally separate. Spinose knob of gnathos very large, slightly longer than wide, tapered distally, caudal margin concave. Valva 3 x as long as wide, costa straight, sacculus basally slightly convex; basal fold of costa extended to 1/5 length of valva, distal fold very narrow, extended to 3/4 length of valva; cucullus narrow, bent towards costa. Digitate process 1/3 length of valva, very narrow, weakly bent as S-shaped, sparsely covered with setae both medially and distally. Median plate of juxta rounded, concave without lateral or posterior extensions. Juxta lobe somewhat produced, with a few setae on a swelling on ventral surface; medial margin S-shaped, joining distal margin without an angle; distal margin weakly convex, joining the straight lateral margin at a right angle. Vinculum narrow, V-shaped, without medial ridge. Phallus 13 x as long as its width in the middle of its length, as long as valva; weakly bent at distal 2/3, somewhat tapered towards apex; insertion of ductus ejaculatorius dorsally directed; caecum blunt, longer than width of basal opening of phallus; distal opening extended to distal 5/6 of phallus; apex slightly upturned; along distal opening sclerotization attached to vesica; cornuti absent.
Female genitalia. Unknown.
Biology. All specimens were collected with UV light trap. The habitat of the holotype is rainforest on utramafic soils, with dominance of Gymnostoma (Casuarinaceae) vegetation (Holloway (1979); habitat of paratypes is open maquis.
Distribution. New Caledonia.
Etymology. The name is derived from the Latin word vesper, ‘evening’. This refers to the pale grey forewing colour.
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 544-545, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4300.4.4, http://zenodo.org/record/839266