Elachista quadrata Meyrick

Sruoga, Virginijus & Kus, Arūnas Di Š, 2006, Redescription of the type specimens of the Elachista freyerella species-group (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae: Elachistinae) from India and Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 1350, pp. 33-43 : 38-40

Elachista quadrata Meyrick

( Figs. 4 , 8, 9 )

Elachista quadrata Meyrick, 1932: 217

Material examined: &, labelled: rounded white label with red margin “Holo- | type ”; white rectangle “ Surat | Bombay | RM. 17.12.28; Elachista | quadrata | 1/1 Meyrick | E. Meyrick det. | in Meyrick Coll.; quadrata Meyr. ; B. M. & | Genitalia slide | No. 29578”. In BMNH.

Male. Unknown.

Female. Forewing length 3.5 mm; wingspan 7.8 mm. Head: Neck tuft, vertex and frons mottled due to grey-brown tips of whitish grey scales; clypeus white; labial palpus white above, fuscous below; flagellum distinctly ringed by whitish and dark brown scales.

Thorax: Forewing dark brown; proximal part of wing lighter and mottled by sparse brown scales on greyish ground; wing distinctly darker beyond middle. Narrow, transverse, antemedial fascia white and slightly oblique. Costal and tornal spots white; costal spot slightly closer to apex of wing. Hindwing dark brown.

Female genitalia ( Figs. 8, 9 ). Papillae anales triangular, with short, sparse setae. Apophyses posteriores conspicuously longer than apophyses anteriores. Abdominal segment VIII narrow. Ostium bursae with deep U-shaped incision. Antrum rather short, approximately as long as apophyses posteriores, with few longitudinal folds. Inner side of antrum and dorsal wall with minute spines. Anterior margin of sternite VII reinforced. Colliculum wide and long, more sclerotized on one side. Corpus bursae without internal spines. Signum strongly bent at almost 100o, with two strong thorns and a few smaller teeth.

Distribution. India ( Fig. 4 ).

Biology. The holotype was captured in late December; no other information available.

Diagnosis. E. quadrata differs from all other known species in the E. freyerella species-group by the short antrum, the peculiar shape of the signum, and by absence of internal spines in the corpus bursae.

Remarks. In BMNH there is a second specimen collected in India (Mysore) and identified by E. Meyrick as E. quadrata , but we have not examined it.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Map of collecting sites of Elachista antipetra (), E. deficiens (), E. quadrata (), E. spiculifera (), E. stichospora ().

FIGURES 8 – 9. Elachista quadrata, female genitalia. 8, general view; 9, signum. Genitalia slide No. 29578 (BMNH). Scale bar 0.1 mm.