Elachista phiala, Sruoga, Virginijus, 2010

Sruoga, Virginijus, 2010, The Elachistinae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Elachistidae) of Ecuador with descriptions of five new species, Zootaxa 2524, pp. 33-50 : 44-45

Elachista phiala , new species

( Figs. 1 , 3 , 35, 36 , 41–44 )

Type material. Holotype: Ψ, ‘ Ecuador | Tungurahua Province | Banos env[irons]., 10.ii.2007 | V. Sruoga leg [it].; Ψ | VS306 | Genitalia slide’. In VPU.

Diagnosis. Elachista phiala is a medium-sized species belonging to the E. saccharella species group sensu Kaila 1999b. In female genitalia, the very short antrum, small and rounded corpus bursae and peculiarly shaped teeth of signum separates this species well from all the other known species of the E. saccharella group.

Female. ( Figs. 35, 36 ). Forewing length 3.5 mm; wingspan 7.6 mm (n=1). Head: Frons shiny pale grey; vertex and neck tuft fuscous grey; labial palpus 1.6 times as long as width of head, pale grey, tip of second segment and third segment fuscous grey below; antenna brownish grey, basal articles weakly annulated with paler rings. Thorax and tegulae fuscous grey with weak brownish tint. Forewing: basal third fuscous grey with weak brownish tint, paler area at 1/4 of costa; ground colour of distal 2/3 dark brownish grey; at 3/5 of costa white oblique streak extended to fold where it meets blurred spot of same colour from dorsal margin; at 4/5 of costa with three narrow triangular white streaks separated from each other by blackish brown lines, apical line formed from long blackish brown scales; fringe scales grey. Hindwing brownish grey, its fringe scales somewhat paler.

Male. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Figs. 41–44 ). Papillae anales longer than wide, distally rounded, with small setose swellings latero-basally. Apophyses posteriores somewhat longer than apophyses anteriores. Ostium bursae situated in intersegmental membrane between sternites seven and eight; occupying about 2/3 width between apophyses anteriores, dorsal wall covered with tiny spines. Antrum wide but very short, weakly sclerotized, inwardly spinose. Colliculum sclerotized anteriorly leaving short membranous zone between sclerotization and antrum, length of colliculum about 1/2 length of apophyses anteriores. Ductus bursae about twice wider than colliculum, almost equally wide for whole length, with tiny internal spines in caudal half and larger ones in oral half. Corpus bursae rounded, densely covered with distinct internal spines; signum large, bluntly boomerang-shaped, with triangular stout teeth.

Biology. Unknown.

Flight period. Based upon the single specimen available, adults fly in February.

Distribution. So far this species is known only from Tungurahua Province of Ecuador ( Figs. 1 , 3 ).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin phiala (shallow drinking-cup) in reference to the peculiar shape of antrum.

Remarks. The holotype is in poor condition; the forewing and head are somewhat rubbed and therefore the description of external characters is incomplete.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Elachistinae species in Ecuador., Aloag, Pichincha Province;, Banos, Tungurahua Province;, Huigra, Chimborazo Province.

FIGURES 2 – 4. Collecting localities in Ecuador. 2, type locality of Elachista adunca sp. n. and E. laxa sp. n. on 24 February 2007, 11 km NW Aloag, Pichincha Province; 3, type locality of E. lata sp. n., E. speciesVS 307 and E. phiala sp. n. on 10 February 2007, Banos env., Tungurahua Province; 4, collecting locality of E. saccharella on 11 February 2007, 1 km E Banos, Rio Negro, Tungurahua Province.

FIGURES 32 – 36. Adults of Elachista species. 32, E. species VS 307, adult female. Scale bar 1 mm; 33, same, head, frontal view; 34, same, abdomen, lateral view; 35, E. phiala sp. n., adult female, holotype. Scale bar 1 mm; 36, same, head, frontal view.

FIGURES 41 – 44. Female genitalia of Elachista phiala sp. n., holotype. 41, caudal part of genitalia; 42, ductus and corpus bursae; 43, ostium region; 44, signum. Gen. slide VS 306. Scale bar 0.1 mm.