The Elachista dispunctella (Duponchel) complex (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae) revisited, with exceptional level of synonymy
Author
Kaila, Lauri
text
Zootaxa
2015
2015-06-30
3980
3
301
358
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3980.3.1
87a07c27-c5f7-490d-9a25-5305095d22de
1175-5326
254013
674D11E9-904C-46E7-A689-013A0B708F3B
Elachista
sp. nr.
grandella
and
E. dalmatiensis
(OTU
16 in
Mutanen
et al
. (
2015
))
Material studied.
Italy
:
46
°
29
’
49
’’N
,
13
°
20
’
47
’’E
, prov. Udine, Valle di Uccea,
3 km
N Uccea,
900 m
,
1
♂
, P. Huemer leg.,
DNA
sample
22211
Lepid. Phyl. (
TLMF
);
42
°26.9’N
,
13
°34.3’E
, Prov. L’Aquila NP Gran Sasso, Campo Imperatore, E Observatorio,
2010 m
,
13
.
VII.
2010,
3
♂, P. Huemer leg., L. Kaila prep.
5831
,
DNA
sample
22209
(
TLMF
).
Slovenia
:
46
°
26
’
18,7
’’N
,
13
°
38
’
77
’’E
, Juliske Alpe, Veliki Mangart,
1820 m
,
9
.
VIII.
2010,
15
♂, P. Huemer leg., L. Kaila prep.
5579, 5580
,
5581, 5462
,
DNA
samples
16988, 20822
,
20824
–
7, 20840
(
TLMF
).
Remarks
. The barcodes of these specimens are uniform and are significantly different from other species, and form their own cluster (OTU
16 in
Mutanen
et al
. (
2015
))
. This taxon generally matches the description of
E. grandella
(barcode unknown), but seems to be somewhat smaller and more narrow-winged, also with narrower valva. These taxa differ from
E. dispunctella
by their shorter phallus as compared to the length of the valva. The relative length of the phallus to valva is also similar in the smaller
E. dalmatiensis
. It also differs markedly by its barcode. The climate of the
type
locality of
E. grandella
in eastern
Austria
and the other known locality in
Hungary
is dry, thus quite different from that of OTU
16
whose occurrence sites have a very high rainfall (Peter Huemer, personal communication). The samples of OTU
16
are from a distant area, separated by Alps and Balkan mountains, from the known range of
E. grandella
. Due to these reasons the association of these specimens to
E.
grandella
seems unwarranted. It is possible, and perhaps more likely, that these specimens represent an undescribed, cryptic species. The discovery of the female of
E. grandella
,
E. dalmatiensis
and OTU
16
might help to resolve the taxonomic status of these taxa.