Elachista simulans, Sruoga, 2022

Sruoga, Virginijus, 2022, New species and records of Elachistinae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea, Elachistidae) from Nepal, Zootaxa 5100 (4), pp. 573-584 : 580-581

Elachista simulans sp. nov.

( Figs 24–31 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, Nepal, 480 m, between Pokhara and Gorhka, Seti Ghat , 4.xii.1999, O. Karsholt. Gen. prep. VS506 ( ZMUC) . Paratypes: 3 ♂, same label as holotype. Gen. prep. VS507, VS508, VS509 ( ZMUC) .

Diagnosis. Elachista simulans belongs to the E. praelineata species group. It is a small, dark-coloured species with indistinct wing markings. In wing pattern and male genitalia, this species is similar to E. amamii Parenti, 1983 , known from Japan ( Parenti 1983; Sugisima 2005a) and Thailand ( Sruoga et al. 2019). The main differences between E. simulans and E. amamii are: 1) the frons is whitish brown in E. simulans , whereas it is white in E. amamii ; 2) the forewing is brownish grey, without distinct white spots in E. simulans , whereas it is with small but distinct white costal spots at 1/3 and 2/ 3 in E. amamii ; 3) the spinose knob of gnathos is large, oval, length/width ratio about 1.5–2.2 in E. simulans , whereas it is smaller, nearly round, length/width ratio about 1–1.2 in E. amamii .

Male ( Figs 24, 25 ). Forewing length 2.8–3.2 mm; wingspan 6.2–7.0 mm (n=4). Head: frons whitish brown; vertex and neck tuft brownish grey, powdered with dark brown-tipped scales; labial palpus slightly longer than width of head, white above, brownish grey below; antenna brownish grey, scape without pecten. Thorax, tegula and ground colour of forewing formed from basally shortly brownish grey and distally blackish brown making mottled appearance. Forewing with small costal spot indistinctly delimited, brownish white near apex of wing; fringe scales brown grey, fringe line brownish black. Hindwing and its fringe brownish grey.

Female. Unknown.

Male genitalia ( Figs 26–31 ). Uncus lobes longer than wide, broadest basally, tapered distally, setae on ventral surface sparse, scale-like near apex, becoming longer and thinner towards base. Socius with a few long setae. Spinose knob of gnathos large and oval, nearly as long as length of uncus lobe. Valva long and narrow, about five times as long as wide; basal fold of costa extended to 1/2 of valva, beyond it with broad hump; cucullus very long, slightly bent towards costa. Median plate of juxta with a pair of small dorsally directed lateral pockets. Juxta lobes large, rounded, slightly truncate, ventral surface distally with long setae, median margin straight, joining rounded distal margin at an obtuse angle, distal margin convex. Digitate process reduced to a small, bluntly triangular lobe, without setae. Vinculum V-shaped, with a median ridge, tapered into wide saccus. Phallus about 0.8 as long as valva, bent at 1/3 from caecum, gradually tapered towards apex; vesica without cornuti.

Biology. Unknown.

Flight period. Based on the specimens available, adults fly in December.

Distribution. So far this species is known only from central Nepal.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin simulans (imitating) in reference to its resemblance to Elachista amamii .

Figures

FIGURES 24–27. Elachista simulans sp. nov., holotype. 24, adult male. Scale bar 1 mm; 25, head, latero-frontal view; 26, general view of male genitalia (phallus removed); 27, phallus. Gen. prep. VS506. Scale bar 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 28–31. Elachista simulans sp. nov. 28, central part of male genitalia, paratype. Gen. prep. VS507; 29, uncus lobes and gnathos, paratype. Gen. prep. VS508; 30, juxta, paratype, in glycerol before permanent mounting in Euparal; 31, distal part of abdomen, dorsal view, paratype. Gen. prep. VS508.