Kaila, Lauri

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Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto

Elachistinae (Gelechioidea: Elachistidae)Lauri KailaFinnish Museum of Natural History, Zoology Unit, University of Helsinki, Finlandlauri.kaila@helsinki.fi (​mailto:wolfram.mey@mfn-berlin.de​)Abstract. Two species of Elachistinae were found on Asante Sana and on the Camdeboo Mts. Five additional species from adjacent localities were included in the study. All of these species are possibly undescribed. Since the Elachistinae type materials in Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, (Pretoria, Republic of South Africa (TMSA) are currently unavailable, and almost all species now recorded are presented by a single or a few specimens only, no new species are described here, nor are any existing names attributed to them. A brief diagnosis is given for each species, and they are associated as far as possible with related species or species groups.IntroductionThe Elachistinae of South Africa are very fragmentarily studied, and a majority of the species were described by MEYRICK *here and below: names to be in small caps, not just capitals (1911, 1913, 1914, 1920, 1921, 1923); more recently species of Perittia STAINTON and Urodeta STAINTON have been described by MEY (2011) and SRUOGA & DE PRINS (2012). PARENTI (1988) designated MEYRICK’s *small caps primary types preserved in TMSA, and illustrated a part of them. Unfortunately, the genital images are schematic and not sufficient for species identification especially when it is obvious that there are, based on recent collections several related species involved, as is the case with Elachista merimnaea MEYRICK, as well species of the cosmopolitan E. freyerella group. For some species no images are available. The types of some species are males, some females, and to establish correct association of sexes collecting of fresh samples from the type localities matching the primary types and barcoding specimens should be undertaken. A general pattern emerging from the material seen seems to be that it is not easy to find more than few specimens at a time; a demonstration of this is that the 19 species reported from South Africa (*here and below: ‘RSA’ is not generally used in the English scientific literature but rather in geopolitical terms before the present contribution (KAILA, in press.), have originally been published in eight different publications. Likely, the real number of elachistine species in South Africa will prove to be much higher than it presently seems. Possibly all seven species reported here are undescribed. Eight of the species previously reported from South Africa are attributed to the genus Elachista TREITSCHKE, to which all species listed here are referable. BiologyElachistine larvae are leaf miners, with almost all species of Elachista feeding on grasses and sedges. Known larvae of the smaller genera Stephensia STAINTON, Perittia and Urodeta feed on a wide variety of dicot plants such as Lamiaceae, Asterales and Caprifoliales. However, the larvae are unknown for most of the species of Perittia and Urodeta. The pupae are usually exposed, sometimes in a fold of leaf, and are characteristic, with camouflaging lateral and dorsal, longitudinal ridges and with regard to the way in which they are attached to the surface: by silk woven on the cremaster and a silken girdle, reminiscent of papilionid and pierid butterflies. A special feature of the pupae are the so-called lateral condyles in the abdomen which prevent lateral movement of the pupa. Elachistinae are globally distributed, but there is a clear tendency of climate preferences in different groups. Urodeta is predominantly tropical (DE PRINS & SRUOGA 2012). In the genus Elachista, most species in the subgenus Aphelosetia inhabit Mediterranaen climate regions, or even arid areas. Species of the other largest subgenera, Atachia and Elachista, are usually boreomontane. In South Africa species belonging to Perittia, Urodeta and Elachista are known. The fauna remaining poorly investigated, little can be said apart from that diversity regarding different species groups appears very high, even when the total number of species currently recognized is less than 30.TaxonomyThe Elachistinae are composed of four genera (KAILA & SUGISIMA 2011):-	Urodeta, a pantropical genus with the highest known species diversity in Africa;-	Perittia, a cosmopolitan genus with the largest known species diversity in South America – in Africa species both north of Sahara, and in southern Africa;-	Stephensia, a small genus with holarctic distribution, one neotropical species known; -	Elachista, a cosmopolitan genus with about 700 known species worldwide – in southern Africa known by fewer than 15 species, yet belonging to several different lineages.MaterialThe material is provisionally deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany (MfN), awaiting further taxonomic research by the author or other specialists in the future.Species reviewElachista species 1Material: 1 ♂, South Africa, Western Cape, Cederberg Mts., Algeria, 22.-24.XI.2008, LF, leg. Ebert, Mey & Kühne; 1 ♂, same locality and data, L. Kaila prep. 6165; 1 ♀, South Africa , Western Cape, Cederberg Mts., Algeria, 2.X.1997 leg. W. Mey; 1 ♂, RSA, Western Cape, Villiersdorp, Wolf-kloof, 26.II.2014, leg. W. Mey, L. Kaila prep. 6168. Remarks: the species belongs to the dispilella species group of the subgenus Aphelosetia. The shape of the cornutus, a straight spine with a single triangular basal thorn, as well as the dense hair coverage on dorsal side of the valva characterize this species.Elachista species 2Material: 1 ♂, South Africa, Western Cape, Villiersdorp, Wolf-kloof, 26.II.2014, leg. W. Mey, L. Kaila prep. 6167, 1 ♂, same locality, 26.II.2014, undissected.Remarks: the species belongs to the subgenus Aphelosetia STEPHENS, dispunctella species group. This species has similarities with the European E. elsaella TRAUGOTT-OLSEN with the similar-shaped phallus that has a long, tapered apex. The shape of the juxta lobes are, however, distinctive by their large size and triangular shape.Elachista species 3Material: 1 ♂, South Africa, Western Cape, Villiersdorp, Wolf-kloof, 28.XI.2013, leg. W. Mey, L. Kaila prep. 6170.Remarks: the species likely belongs to subgenus Elachista praelineata species group. It is close to, yet likely not conspecific with E. merimnaea Meyrick, 1920. The distinguishing character seems to be in the shape of the juxta lobes, which are relatively short and laterally produced in this species, but, accordingly to the drawing in Parenti (1988), longer, and evenly curved in E. merimnaea. See also the following species.Elachista species 4Material: 1 ♂, South Africa, Eastern Cape, Camdeboo Mts., Graaff-Reinet District, Farm Onbedacht, 32°10´20´´S 24°04´50´´E, Wet[land] slope, Alt. 1250 m, 15.II.2003, leg. D. M. Kroon, L. Kaila prep. 6172.Remarks: the species is close to, yet not conspecific with either E. merimnaea Meyrick, 1920 or the preceding species. It is characteristic with its very long, narrow and distally pointed digitate process. This species is almost certainly new, but is left undescribed here. It is known only from a single specimen. There are further species related to E. merimnaea in other recent collections from the Cape area, indicating that even more taxa can be expected to exist. Therefore, it is deemed wiser not to name any of them on the basis of such scarce material. Elachista species 5Material: 1 ♂, South Africa, Western Cape, Cederberg Mts., Algeria, leg. W. Mey, 18-22. X. 2007, L. Kaila prep. 6166; 1 ♂, South Africa, Graaff-Reinet, Asante Sana Game Farm, 5-14.XI.2012, leg. W. Mey, L. Kaila prep. 6171.Remarks: the species belongs to the cosmopolitan Elachista freyerella group. It has, as most of its relatives, grey forewings patterned with a white median fascia, opposite small costal and tornal spots, and a small, white apical spot. It has a spine-shaped cornutus and a characteristic, very large dorsally directed sac on the median plate of the juxta, as well as distally widened valvae.Elachista species 6Material: 1 ♂, South Africa, Western Cape, Waaboomskraal, north of George, 27.II.2014, leg. W. Mey, L. Kaila prep. 6169.Remarks: the species is close to the preceding one and has a similar facies. Its phallus lacks the cornutus, and the dorsally-directed sac on the median plate of the juxta is smaller and wider.Elachista species 7 Material: 4 ♂, South Africa, Gauteng, Magaliesburg, 25-26.XI.2017, LF, leg. W. Mey, L. Kaila prep. 6173.Remarks: the species belongs to the E. freyerella group. Externally, it is quite different from the two preceding species, rather resembling some species in the E. tetragonella group. The forewings are silky white in the basal half, pale ochreous yellow in the distal half; with a large dark grey longitudinal patch in the middle of wing length at fold, and an indistinct smaller spot at the costa in the middle of wing length; the fringe line is dark grey at the termen. There is no cornutus in the phallus unlike in E. nymphaea Meyrick, another pale species of the E. freyerella group which also apparently has a very wide gnathos.Table 1: Distribution of Elachistinae on Asante Sana and on the Camdeboo Mts. (WK = Waterkooof, ZK = Zuurkloof, GH = Glen Haven, CM = Camdeboo Mts.)species	cottage	WK	ZK	GH	CMElachista species 4					+Elachista species 5					+ReferencesKAILA, L. An annotated catalogue of Elachistinae of the World (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Elachistidae). Zootaxa, in press. KAILA, L. & SUGISIMA, K. (2011): 1. Phylogeny, subfamily definition and generic classification. - In: KAILA, L.: Elachistine moths of Australia (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Elachistidae). Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, Vol 11. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 7–22.MEY, W. (2011): Basic pattern of Lepidoptera diversity in southwestern Africa. – Esperiana Memoir 6: 1–316.MEYRICK, E. (1911): Descriptions of South-African Microlepidoptera. – Annals of the Transvaal Museum 2: 218–240.MEYRICK, E. (1913): Descriptions of South-African Micro-Lepidoptera. – Annals of the Transvaal Museum 3: 267–336.MEYRICK, E. (1914): Descriptions of South-African Micro-Lepidoptera. – Annals of the Transvaal Museum 4: 187–205.MEYRICK, E. (1920): Descriptions of South-African Microlepidoptera. – Annals of the South African Museum (Cape Town) 17: 273–318.MEYRICK, E. (1921): Descriptions of South-African Micro-Lepidoptera. – Annals of the Transvaal Museum 8: 49–148.MEYRICK, E. (1923): Descriptions of South-African Micro-Lepidoptera. – Annals of the Transvaal Museum 8: 49–148.PARENTI, U. (1988): About some African and Asian species of the family Elachistidae (Lepidoptera) described by E. Meyrick. – Stapfia 16: 185-198.SRUOGA, V. & DE PRINS, J. In: DE PRINS, J. & SRUOGA, V. (2012): A review of the taxonomic history and biodiversity of the genus Urodeta (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae: Elachistinae), with description of new species. – Zootaxa 3488: 41–62.

Elachistinae (Gelechioidea: Elachistidae)

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Elachistinae (Gelechioidea: Elachistidae)

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Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto