Elachista cornuta Parenti, 1981

Kaila, Lauri, Baran, Tomasz & Mutanen, Marko, 2015, A revision of the Elachista dispilella complex (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Elachistidae), Zootaxa 3963 (4), pp. 517-560 : 553-555

Elachista cornuta Parenti, 1981

Figs. 33 , 85

Elachista cornuta Parenti, 1981: 52 .

Material examined. Type material. Holotype ♂: Iran, Derbend, 25 km N. v. Teheran, 2000 m, 7.- 15.6.1963, Kasy & Vartian leg. ( NHMW); Paratype ♂: same collecting data as in holotype, U. Parenti prep. 944, Mus. Vind. 11.104 ( NHMW).

Diagnosis. Elachista cornuta is a medium-sized white species with brown plical and discal spots on the forewing. The male genitalia are characterized by the wide gnathos and the size of the single cornutus, which is much larger than in related species, expcept for E. sitibunda . The separation of these species is explained in the diagnosis of E. sitibunda below.

Molecular characterization. No material was available for genetic study.

Redescription. Wingspan 9–11 mm. Labial palpus porrect, creamy white, length equal to diameter of head, apical scales of second segment elongate. Head, neck tuft, thorax, scape and pedicel of antenna creamy white; flagellum brown. Fore- and midleg grey, hindleg ochreous, spurs and tarsal articles slightly darker brown. Forewing creamy white with concolorous fringe, plical and discal spots brown, basal fifth of costa dark grey. Hindwing pale grey with concolorous fringe. Underside of forewing grey with creamy white fringe, hindwing pale grey, fringe concolorous.

Male genitalia. Uncus lobes broad, as wide as long, mesial margin convex, apex pointed and slightly laterally directed, lateral margin straight. Spinose knob of gnathos 1.5 times as broad as long, anterior margin slightly concave. Valva 1.5 times as long as tegumen + uncus, broadest basally, 4 times as long as broad as its width basally, and 5.5 times as long as its width medially; sacculus dilated, cucullus elongate. Digitate process tongue-shaped, 0.2 times as long as valva, medially and distally with stout setae. Juxta lobes devoid of setae, mesial and distal margin rounded without distinct limit. Phallus 0.7 times as long as valva, broad, apex pointed and shortly reinforced; basal opening posteriorly oriented, caecum absent; one large cornutus with oval and plate-shaped part and apically directed, stout spine, length of which equal to the width of the basal plate of cornutus.

Female. Unknown. Biology. Unknown. Distribution. Iran.

Figures

FIGURES 26 – 34. Adults of Elachista spp. Scale 2 mm. 26. E. levasi Sruoga, ♂ holotype (courtesy by V. Sruoga). 27. E. levasi Sruoga, ♂ (Ukraine). 28. E. bazaensis Traugott-Olsen, ♂ holotype. 29. E. bazaensis Traugott-Olsen, ♀ (Spain). 30. E. vartianae Parenti, ♂ (Morocco). 31. E. vartianae Parenti, ♀ (Morocco). 32. E. laterotis Kaila, sp. nov., ♂ holotype. 33. E. cornuta Parenti, ♂ holotype (Iran). 34. E. sitibunda Kaila, sp. nov., ♂ holotype.

FIGURES 85 – 86. Male genitalia of Elachista spp. Left: general image of genitalia, phallus in same scale. Right top: juxta and digitate process. Right bottom: cornutus as enlarged. 85. E. cornuta Parenti, paratype, U. Parenti prep. 944. 86. E. sitibunda Kaila sp. nov., holotype, L. Kaila prep. 5762. Middle bottom: cornutus, paratype, L. Kaila 5760.