Elachista latipenella Sinev & Budashkin, 1991

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, Nota Lepidopterologica 48, pp. 103-136 : 103-136

Elachista latipenella Sinev & Budashkin, 1991

Figs 15 , 16 , 40

Elachista latipenella Sinev & Budashkin, 1991, in Budashkin and Sinev 1991: 581. Type locality: Ukraine, Crimea, Karadag. Holotype ♂ in ZISP (illustration of habitus and genitalia examined).

Material examined.

Holotype. Description and images of the holotype in the original description examined. Paratype. UKRAINE • 1 ♂; Crimea, Karadag, Biostantsia , 44.9122 ° N, 35.2008 ° E; 3 Jul. 1986; Yu. Budashkin leg.; L. Kaila prep. 3396, MZH .

Other material. • 10 ♂; same collecting data as in the type series except date; 10 Jun. 1987; L. Kaila prep. 3399 ; • 1 ♂; same data except date; 23 Jul. 1990; MZH .

Diagnosis.

E. latipenella is a very small species, similar to E. lagotara . Its labial palpus is somewhat shorter than in E. lagotara , and the flagellum is unicolorous grey unlike in E. lagotara . The forewings are more evenly maculated, with pale ochreous scales, rarely with some darker ones as compared to E. lagotara . The male genitalia are also most similar to those of E. lagotara , but the nearly straight costa of the valva and the very wide distal part of the phallus in E. latipenella readily separate these species.

Redescription.

Wingspan 6.0–7.0 mm. Length of labial palpus a little less than diameter of head; creamy white above, somewhat fuscous below. Head, neck tuft, tegula, thorax and scape of antenna off-white, intermixed with grey-tipped scales; flagellum grey. Legs off-white. Forewing ground colour off-white, evenly but rather scarcely covered with pale brown scales, in distal half also with darker grey scales. Fringe concolorous with forewing, with indistinct greyish brown fringe line. Hindwing off-white with fringe concolorous, or with yellow hue. Underside of wings pale brownish grey, margins and especially along apex yellow, fringe yellowish grey.

Male genitalia. Uncus lobe slightly longer than broad at its broadest point, distally round, with a few short setae distolaterally, incision separating uncus lobes 0.8 length of uncus. Spinose knob of gnathos oval, 1.7 × as long as broad. Valva 4 × as long as broad at its broadest point in the middle; costa weakly convex medially, shallowly emarginated in its distal third; sacculus basally bent, otherwise straight; cucullus somewhat curved and weakly bent towards costa. Digitate process small, about 1 / 7 length of valva, distally slightly dilated, blunt and setose. Juxta lobes apically tapered, widely separated from each other with V-shaped incision, medially produced; median margin somewhat convex; distal margin with a few short setae; lateral process short; lateral margin concave; median plate with shallow dorsally directed median sac. Vinculum short and broad, V-shaped. Phallus short, about 0.5 × as long as valva, straight, 3 × as long as broad at its broadest place near apex, strongly dilated in distal part; caecum short; vesica with one straight cornutus formed as long tooth arising from smaller irregular sclerotized plate, length of cornutus about 0.3 length of phallus.

Female. Unknown.

Biology.

Host plant unknown. Adults on the wing were recorded from mid-June until mid-August.

Distribution.

Ukraine.

DNA barcode information.

None available.

Figures

Figures 11–20. Adults of Elachista spp. 11. E. lagotara Kaila & Sruoga, sp. nov., ♂, holotype; 12. E. lagotara Kaila & Sruoga, sp. nov., ♂, paratype; 13, 14. E. lagotara Kaila & Sruoga, sp. nov., ♀, paratypes; 15. E. latipenella Sinev & Budashkin, ♂, paratype; 16. E. latipenella Sinev & Budashkin, ♂, (Ukraine, Crimea); 17. E. scolopsa Kaila & Sruoga, sp. nov., ♂, holotype; 18. E. scolopsa Kaila & Sruoga, sp. nov., ♂, paratype (Lebanon, Bcharre); 19. E. belona Kaila & Sruoga, sp. nov., ♂, holotype; 20. E. belona Kaila & Sruoga, sp. nov., ♂, paratype (Russia, Buryatia).

Figures 40–42. 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. 40. E. latipenella Sinev & Budashkin, L. Kaila prep. 3399; 41. E. scolopsa Kaila & Sruoga, sp. nov., holotype, L. Kaila prep. 6146; 42. E. belona Kaila & Sruoga, sp. nov., holotype, L. Kaila prep. 2198.