Elachista subalbidella Schläger, 1847

Kaila, Lauri, 2019, An annotated catalogue of Elachistinae of the World (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Elachistidae), Zootaxa 4632 (1), pp. 1-231 : 126-127

Elachista subalbidella Schläger, 1847

Elachista subalbidella Schläger, 1847: 241 . Type locality: Germany, Weimar ( Schläger 1847: 241) . Type (s) not located.

Elachista ochreella Stainton, 1849: 27 . Type locality: England, Yaxley. Holotype ♂, in NHMUK.

Elachista nebulella Stainton, 1851: 10 . Type locality: [ England]. Two syntypes, originally in Mr. Allis’s and Mr. Gregson’s collection. Allis’collection is currently in YMUK; presence of the type not verified. Depository of Gregson’s collection unknown.

Poeciloptilia subochrella Herrich-Schäffer, 1855: 313 . Type locality: Switzerland, Zürich (Herrich-Schäffer 1855: 313). Holotype (sex not stated), possibly in Coll. Frey (NHMUK). See Remarks.

Elachista subochrella Morris, 1870: 229 ; pl. 124, fig. 20. Type localities: England: Scarborough, Worthing, Mickleham, Lewes, West Wickham, Pembury, Bristol, Alkham, Preston, the Cambridgeshire Fens. Based on an undefined number of syntypes, auctioned, current depositories unknown and possibly lost. See Remarks. Junior secondary homonym of Poeciloptilia subochrella Herrich-Schäffer, (1855) .

Elachista hiberna Braun, 1948: 52 . Type locality: U.S.A., Ohio, Pike County, Shepherd Mountain ( Braun 1948: 52). Holotype ♀, in ANSP. Synonymized by Kaila (1997: 10).

Poeciloptilia ochreella: Herrich-Schäffer (1855: 313) .

Svenssonia subalbidella: Parenti (2009: 33) .

‡ Elachista subochreella ; misspelling ( Doubleday 1859: 35).

Subgenus: Elachista ; argentella species group.

Distribution: Holarctic. Austria, Azerbaijan, Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Yukon), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia (European part, Siberia, E. Russia), Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K. ( England, Scotland, Wales), Ukraine, U.S.A. (Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota).

Larval host plant(s): Arrhenaterum sp., Brachypodium pinnatum (L.) Beauv., B. sylvaticum (Hudson) Beauv. , Calamagrostis epigejos (L.) Roth, Diarrhena americana Beauv. , Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench, Poa sp. ( Poaceae ),? Carex sp. ( Cyperaceae ) ( Braun 1948; Frey 1866; Huttunen 1980).

Figs.: Traugott & Nielsen (1977).

Remarks: Herrich-Schäffer’s (1855: 313) description of Poeciloptilia subochrella fulfils the requirements of a valid description and predates Elachista subochrella Morris (1870: 229) . Morris’s species is almost certainly conspecific with E. subalbidella in the absence of other similar species in England. The taxonomy of E. subalbidella and similar taxa is uncertain in the Alps. Until the identity of P. subochrella Herrich-Schäffer can be verified, its current status as a synonym is maintained.