Elachista multipunctata Sruoga, L. Kaila 1990
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 multipunctata

description: Elachista multipunctata Sruoga, 1990
Figs 2–5, 32, 33, 47, 55, 56
Elachista multipunctata Sruoga, 1990: 79. Type locality: Tajikistan, 30 km N Dushanbe.
Material examined.
Holotype. TAJIKISTAN • ♂; 30 km N. Dushanbe, Kondara (Fig. 55); 38.80888 ° N, 68.81811 ° E; 20 Aug. 1986; R. Puplesis leg.; L. Kaila prep. 6160; VU.
Other material. TAJIKISTAN • 2 ♂; Zardolu, NW Nurek; 38.49 ° N, 69.17 ° E; 6 Aug. 1990; • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; 1 Jul. 1991; V. Sruoga leg.; VU; • ♀; 30 km N. Dushanbe, 1200 m, Kondara; 38.80888 ° N, 68.81811 ° E; 5 Jul. 1986; Puplesis leg.; VU; • 1 ♂; same locality; 18 Jul. 1989; • 13 ♂, 6 ♀; same locality; 3 Jul. – 10 Aug. 1990; • 10 ♂, 4 ♀; same locality; 13 Jun. – 6 Jul. 1991; gen. prep. V. Sruoga 157 (♀), L. Kaila 1658 (♂); all V. Sruoga leg.; VU, 1 ♂ 1 ♀ MZH; • 1 ♂; same locality; 4 Sept. 1990; R. Noreika leg.; VU; • 1 ♂; W. Pamir Mts., 2550 m, Vanch River Valley, Pol-Mazar Village, 6 km E Vanch Nature Reserve; 38.4011 ° N, 72.0131 ° E; 28–29 Jul. 2013; K. Nupponen & R. Haverinen leg.; DNA sample FinBOL 2021, http://tun.fi/NH.472; RCNupp.; • 1 ♂; same collection data; L. Kaila prep. 6152, DNA sample FinBOL 2021, http://tun.fi/NH.471; MZH; • 3 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data; 1 ♂ L. Kaila prep. 6156; RCNupp.
TURKMENISTAN • 1 ♂; Kugitangtau Mountains, env. Svinsovy Rudnik, Sayat (Fig. 56); 37.55026 ° N, 66.29295 ° E; 29 Aug. 1990; R. Puplesis; VU.
Diagnosis.
Superficially and by male genitalia, this species is similar with E. afghana. The identification of these species is given in the diagnosis of E. afghana. In the female genitalia, E. multipunctata resembles E. graeca in its wide colliculum with longitudinal folds and oval corpus bursae. These two species can be distinguished as follows: 1) the colliculum in E. multipunctata is as long as apophysis posterioris and gradually tapered, whereas in E. graeca it is about 4 / 5 the length of the apophysis posterioris and bulbous; 2) the corpus bursae in E. multipunctata with internal spines arranged in broad bands, whereas in E. graeca the internal spines are not arranged in bands.
Redescription.
Wingspan 9.5–12.0 mm. Labial palpus as long as diameter of head, white to off-white. Head, neck tuft, tegula, thorax, scape and pedicel of antenna white to off-white; flagellum grey. Foreleg grey with tarsal articles distally white, legs otherwise off-white. Forewing ground colour off-white with concolorous fringe, sparsely scattered with grey-tipped scales, often darker grey pattern in middle of wing, and forming dark grey fringe line. Hindwing pale grey with concolorous fringe. Underside of forewing yellowish grey with concolorous fringe, underside of hindwing pale grey.
Male genitalia. Uncus lobe as long as broad at its broadest point, distally round, with a few short setae distolaterally, incision separating uncus lobes 0.6 × length of uncus. Spinose knob of gnathos about 1.5 × as long as broad. Valva 3.5–4 × as long as broad at its broadest point in the middle; costa strongly convex medially, distinctly emarginated in its distal third; sacculus basally somewhat convex, slightly concave beyond middle; cucullus somewhat curved and weakly bent towards costa. Digitate process small, about 1 / 5 length of valva, basally narrow, distally dilated, blunt and setose, ventral margin convex. Juxta lobes widely separated from each other, medially produced forming lobes 2 × as long as broad, bottom of incision between juxta lobes strongly sclerotized; median margin of lobes somewhat concave; distal margin with a few short setae; lateral process long and broad; lateral margin concave; median plate with shallow dorsally directed median sac. Vinculum small, with short narrow saccus strongly bent dorsad. Phallus about 0.7 × as long as valva, straight, 5–6 × 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 straight or weakly bent cornutus formed as elongate tooth arising from short, sclerotized plate, length of cornutus about 0.1–0.2 × length of phallus.
Female genitalia. Papilla analis membranous with nearly round apex; ventrally connected with inverted Y-shaped sclerotization. Apophysis posterioris about 2 × as long as papilla analis; apophysis anterioris approximately 0.6 × as long as apophysis posterioris. Ostium bursae broad, round. Colliculum almost as long as apophysis posterioris, broad, 1 / 3 as wide as long, with longitudinal folds. Remaining part of ductus bursae about 1.5 × as long as colliculum, membranous, with small internal spines, especially towards corpus bursae. Corpus bursae oval, with small internal spines arranged as broad bands.
Biology.
Host plant unknown. The species has been collected at light, at elevations of 1000–3000 m from mid-June until early September. The collecting dates suggest the presence of two generations.
Distribution.
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan.
DNA barcode information.
Intraspecific divergence distance (n = 2) 0.15 % (sample id’s: DNA sample FinBOL 2021, http://tun.fi/NH.472; DNA sample FinBOL 2021, http://tun.fi/NH.471) Nearest neighbor is E. phantasma with 4.76 % divergence.
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