Redescription of the type specimens of the Elachista freyerella species-group (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae: Elachistinae) from India and Sri Lanka
Author
Sruoga, Virginijus
Author
Kus, Arūnas Di Š
text
Zootaxa
2006
1350
33
43
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.174512
ca74a7d5-33df-45e0-a606-3cae2c905de1
1175-5326
174512
Elachista antipetra
Meyrick
(
Figs. 1–4
)
Elachista antipetra
Meyrick, 1922
: 508
Material examined:
&, labelled: rounded white label with blue margin “LECTO- |
TYPE
”; white rectangle “Shillong | Assam | TBF. 5000’. 10 16”; white rectangle “
Elachista
|
antipetra
| 2/3 Meyrick | E. Meyrick det. | in Meyrick Coll.” B. M. & | Genitalia slide | No. 29573”. In
BMNH
.
Male.
Unknown.
Female.
Forewing length
2.8 mm
; wingspan
6 mm
. Head: Vertex and neck tuft mottled due to grey-brown tips of whitish grey scales; frons whitish grey with some metallic lustre; labial palpus slightly longer than width of the head, strongly diverging, whitish above, fuscous below; flagellum distinctly ringed by whitish and dark brown scales. Thorax: Forewing dark brown, proximal part of wing lighter, sparsely covered with brown scales on greyish ground, wing distinctly darker beyond middle. Transverse fascia antemedian, white and slightly oblique. Blackish brown scales forming blurred patch just beyond fascia and between costal and tornal spots. Costal and tornal spots of same colour as fascia; costal spot slightly closer to the apex of wing. Apical spot small, white. Fringe scales brownish grey, fringe line blackish brown. Hindwing dark brown, slightly lighter
Female genitalia
(
Figs. 1–3
). Papillae anales triangular, with short and sparse setae. Apophyses posteriores longer then apophyses anteriores. Abdominal segment VIII narrow.
FIGURES 1–3.
Elachista antipetra
, female genitalia. 1, general view; 2, antrum; 3, signum. Genitalia slide No. 29573 (BMNH). Scale bar 0.1 mm.
Ostium bursae with V-shaped, deep, narrow incision; dorsal wall covered by rather strong spines. Antrum prolonged spindle-shaped with a few longitudinal folds. Inner side of antrum with sparse tiny spines (conspicuously smaller than spines on dorsal wall). Anterior margin of sternite VII reinforced. Colliculum shorter than antrum, more sclerotized on one side. Oral part of ductus bursae membranous. Corpus bursae with minute internal spines. Signum in the form of an oval plate with oppositely directed strong thorns and a few smaller teeth.
Distribution
.
India
(
Fig. 4
).
Biology.
The
lectotype
was captured in mid October; no other information available.
Diagnosis
. The most distinctive feature of this species is the deep, narrow incision of the ostium. A somewhat similar incision is present in
E. herbigrada
Braun, 1925
from
U.S.A.
and
E. nipponicella
Sugisima, 2006
from
Japan
. From these two species
E. antipetra
differs by size of the internal spines of the antrum: in the ostium region they are stronger and denser, elsewhere they are considerably smaller and sparser (
Fig. 2
).
FIGURE 4.
Map of collecting sites of
Elachista antipetra
()
,
E. deficiens
()
,
E. quadrata
()
,
E. spiculifera
()
,
E. stichospora
()
.
Remarks.
In addition to the
lectotype
, there are three specimens (BMNH, all females) collected in
India
(Khasis, Shillong) identified by E. Meyrick as
Elachista antipetra
. Two of these (abdomen missing in one) are considerably larger than the
lectotype
and the third specimen, but they have not been examined by us.