Elachista

For the genus of Chordariaceae brown algae, see Elachista (alga). As invalidly described by V. Kollar in 1832, Elachista refers to the Lyonetiidae moth genus Lyonetia.
Elachista
Adult Elachista argentella
at IJmuiden (The Netherlands)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Division: Ditrysia
Family: Elachistidae
Genus: Elachista
Treitschke in Ochsenheimer, 1833
Type species
Elachista bifasciella
Treitschke in Ochsenheimer, 1833
Species

Numerous, see text
Synonyms

Numerous, see text

Elachista is a genus of gelechioid moths. It is the type genus of the grass-miner moth family (Elachistidae). This family is sometimes (in particular in older sources) circumscribed very loosely, including for example the Agonoxenidae and Ethmiidae which seem to be quite distinct among the Gelechioidea, as well as other lineages which are widely held to be closer to Oecophora than to Elachista and are thus placed in the concealer moth family Oecophoridae here.[1]

These grass-miners are very small moths with the "feathery" hindwings characteristic of their family. They are essentially found worldwide, except in very cold places and on some oceanic islands; as usual for Gelechioidea, they are most common in the Palearctic however. They usually have at least one, sometimes as many as three light bands running from leading to trailing edge of their forewing uppersides. Some species, however, have upper forewings that are mostly white.[2]

Contents

Selected species

Not all species of this large genus have been discovered yet, let alone validly described and named. Several small genera, e.g. Biselachista and Cosmiotes, are here included in Elachista as junior synonyms (see below). They seem to be at least as closely related to E. bifasciella (the type species of the present genus) than other species commonly placed here, if not actually closer. In addition, Elachista contains several cryptic species complexes – such as the one around E. dispunctella and E. triseriatella – whose systematics and taxonomy are still not fully resolved.[3]

A number of Elachista species have been assigned to one of several groups, which may or may not be monophyletic, and whose names in the literature do not consistently follow the usual taxonomic practice (i.e. using as namesake the group-member which was described first). Some of these groups are placed in either of the two large subgenera Elachista (Aphelosetia) and Elachista (Elachista). Other proposed subgenera – the small Elachista (Dibrachia) and Elachista (Hemiprosopa) – are here included in the species of unclear relationships; like some small species-groups, they stand a chance of rendering the two larger subgenera paraphyletic if accepted as distinct, but seem too unlike them to warrant placement in either.[4]

Subgenus Elachista (Aphelosetia)

argentella group (sometimes in bedellella group)

bedellella/unifasciella group (including collitella group)

Elachista (Aphelosetia) incertae sedis

Subgenus Elachista (Atachia)

These are sorted in the presumed phylogenetic sequence.[6]

gerasmia group, gerasmia section

Incertae sedis

Elachista cynopa complex

Elachista melanthes complex

Elachista gerasmia complex

Elachista paragauda complex

gerasmia group, catarata section

erebophthalma group

Subgenus Elachista (Elachista)

albifrontella/bifasciella group

cerusella/monosemiella group

gleichenella group

orba group

praelineata group

pulchella group

solena group

"Cosmiotes"/freyerella group

Incertae sedis

  • Elachista albipalpella Chambers, 1880
  • Elachista albrechti Kaila, 1998
  • Elachista amseli (Parenti, 1981)
  • Elachista antipetra Meyrick, 1922
  • Elachista baltica E.Hering, 1891 (sometimes in E. freyerella; tentatively placed here)
  • Elachista consortella Stainton, 1851 (tentatively placed here)
  • Elachista cristatella Chambers, 1876
  • Elachista deficiens Meyrick, 1922
  • Elachista epicaeria (Diakonoff, 1955)
  • Elachista exactella (tentatively placed here)
  • Elachista herbigrada Braun, 1925
  • Elachista heteroplaca Meyrick, 1934
  • Elachista illectella (Clemens, 1860) (type of Cosmiotes)
  • Elachista illicitella (Clemens, 1860)
  • Elachista infuscata Frey, 1882 (sometimes in E. exactella; tentatively placed here)
  • Elachista inscia (Meyrick, 1913)
  • Elachista ksarella Chrétien, 1908
  • Elachista laquaeorum (Dugdale, 1971)
  • Elachista lorigera (Meyrick, 1921) (type of Ptilodoxa)
  • Elachista nipponicella Sugisima, 2006
  • Elachista nymphaea Meyrick, 1911
  • Elachista obtusella Sruoga, 2008
  • Elachista ochroleuca Meyrick 1923
  • Elachista pallens (Sruoga, 1990)
  • Elachista planicara Kaila, 1998
  • Elachista praematurella Clemens, 1860
  • Elachista quadrata Meyrick, 1932
  • Elachista scopulicola (Braun, 1948)
  • Elachista spiculifera Meyrick, 1922
  • Elachista stabilella Stainton, 1858 (tentatively placed here)
  • Elachista stichospora Meyrick, 1932
  • Elachista tuberella Sruoga, 2008

Elachista freyerella complex[7]

Elachista synethes complex[7]

tetragonella group

Elachista (Elachista) incertae sedis

Other groups

Some Elachista are divided into groups whose relationships to the two large subgenera requires further study, including:[8]

"Dibrachia" group

"Irenicodes" group

  • Elachista eurychora (Meyrick, 1919) (type of Irenicodes)
  • Elachista galatheae (Viette, 1954) (type of Euproteodes)
  • Elachista holdgatei (Bradley, 1965)
  • Elachista hookeri (Dugdale, 1971)
  • Elachista pumila (Dugdale, 1971)

Incertae sedis

Additional Elachista species are of even more uncertain relationships than usual for this genus:[9]

  • Elachista albella (Chambers, 1877) (type of Hemiprosopa)
  • Elachista altaica Sinev, 1998
  • Elachista baikalica Kaila, 1992
  • Elachista bassii Parenti, 2006
  • Elachista beltira Kaila, 2000
  • Elachista beriga Kaila, 2000
  • Elachista bimaculata Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista brevis Sruoga & J. de Prins, 2009
  • Elachista chelonites Meyrick, 1909 (type of Cleroptila)
  • Elachista deresyensis Traugott-Olsen,1988
  • Elachista donia Kaila, 2000
  • Elachista gibbera Kaila, 2003
  • Elachista kakamegensis Sruoga & J. de Prins, 2009
  • Elachista kherana Kaila, 2000
  • Elachista longispina Sruoga & J. de Prins, 2009
  • Elachista maculosa Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista margareteae (Traugott-Olsen, 1994)
  • Elachista mus Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista planca Sruoga & J. de Prins, 2009
  • Elachista puplesisi Sruoga, 2000
  • Elachista semnani Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista stelviella Amsel, 1932
  • Elachista vasrana Kaila, 2000
  • Elachista veruta Kaila, 2008

Synonyms

Invalid scientific names (junior synonyms and others) of Elachista in the circumscription as presented here are:[10]

  • Aphelosetia Stephens, 1834
  • Aphigalia Dyar, [1903]
  • Atachia Wocke in Heinemann, [1876]
  • Biselachista Traugott-Olsen & Schmidt Nielsen, 1977
  • Cleroptila Meyrick, 1909
  • Cosmiotes Clemens, 1860
  • Cycnodia Herrich-Schäffer, 1853
  • Dibrachia Sinev & Sruoga, 1992
  • Dicasteris Meyrick, 1906
  • Elaschista (lapsus)
  • Euproteodes Viette, 1954
  • Hecista Wallengren, 1881
  • Hemiprosopa A.F.Braun, 1948
  • Irenicodes Meyrick, 1919
  • Neaera Chambers, 1880 (non Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830: preoccupied)
  • Paraperittia Rebel, 1916
  • Phigalia Chambers, 1875 (non Duponchel, 1829: preoccupied)
  • Platyphyllis Meyrick, 1932
  • Ptilodoxa Meyrick, 1921
  • Svenssonia Parenti, 2009

Footnotes

  1. ^ AEBR (2008), FE (2009)
  2. ^ AEBR (2008), FE (2009), and see references in Savela (2008)
  3. ^ Kusdas & Reichl (1973): 194, Pitkin & Jenkins (2004), AEBR (2008), FE (2009), and see references in Savela (2008)
  4. ^ FE (2009), Wikispecies (2009-SEP-27), and see references in Savela (2008)
  5. ^ a b c d See references in Savela (2008)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kaila (2011)
  7. ^ a b Sorted in the presumed phylogenetic sequence (Kaila, 2011).
  8. ^ ABRS (2008), FE (2009), Wikispecies (2009-SEP-27)
  9. ^ Wikispecies (2009-SEP-27), and see references in Savela (2008)
  10. ^ AEBR (2008), FE (2009), Wikispecies (2009-SEP-27), and see references in Savela (2008)

References

Data related to Elachista at Wikispecies