Elachista riftella Sruoga & Prins, 2026, sp. nov.

Résumé fourni par la source

Elachista riftella sp. nov. Figs 5, 6 Material examined. Holotype. Kenya • ♂; Rift Valley, Prov. Molo; 7500 ft; 24. Oct. 1998; D. J. L. Agassiz; gen. prep. L. Kaila 849; DJLA. Paratypes. Kenya • ♂; Rift Valley, Prov. Turi; 8000 ft; 13. Dec. 1998; D. J. L. Agassiz leg. • ♂; same data except date; 13. Jan. 1999; D. J. L. Agassiz leg.; gen. prep. VS 587 • ♂; same data except date; 15. Mar. 2000; gen. prep. VS 636; DJLA. Diagnosis. Elachista riftella belongs to the E. freyerella species group. The wing pattern of this medium-sized species is hardly distinguishable from many others of the E. freyerella species group. By its markedly concave sacculus, strong distal spine of the sacculus, and needle-shaped cornutus, E. riftella resembles several other species of the E. freyerella species group: E. spiculifera Meyrick, 1922, known from South India (for illustrations refer to Sruoga and Diškus 2006), E. alacera Kaila, 2011, known from Australia (for illustrations refer to Kaila 2011), and E. inscia Meyrick, 1913, known from South Africa (for illustrations refer to Parenti 1988). The main differences are the following: (1) in E. riftella, the digitate process is evenly dilated apically, and the saccus is narrow, whereas in E. spiculifera, the digitate process is abruptly dilated apically, and the saccus is wider; (2) in E. riftella, the sacculus is strongly concave, the spinose knob of gnathos is small, and the vesica lacks spinules, whereas in E. alacera the sacculus is less concave, the spinose knob of gnathos is smaller, and small spinules are present in the vesica; (3) in E. riftella, the forewing is darkly coloured, and the spinose knob of gnathos is small, whereas in E. inscia the forewing is lightly coloured, and the spinose knob of gnathos is oval and very large. Description. Male. (Fig. 5). Forewing length 3.0– 4.1 mm; wingspan 6.7–8.6 mm (N = 4). Head: frons creamy white; lowermost scale layer of clypeal area more or less brownish grey; vertex and neck tuft greyish white, with greyish brown tipped scales; labial palpus upwards curved, diverging, about 1.5 × as long as width of head, creamy white above, greyish brown below; antenna 0.7 as long as forewing, scape creamy white, intermixed with greyish brown, flagellum brownish grey, without annulation; pecten present as a few short, creamy white seta-like scales at base of scape. Thorax and tegula creamy white, intermixed with greyish brown. Forewing composed of basally creamy white and distally light-brown tipped scales, giving mottled appearance; row of blackish brown scales along fold extends to 0.4 of forewing; small, elongated blackish brown spot is present at dorsal margin in basal 1 / 6; plical spot elongate, blackish brown, at ½ wing length on dorsal side of fold; similar but smaller opposite spot near costal margin; blackish brown discal spot forms long streak at ⅔ wing length in middle; costal and tornal spots indistinctly delimited; fringe scales brownish grey, fringe line blackish brown. Hindwing grey-brown, its fringe scales somewhat paler. Female. Unknown. Male genitalia (Fig. 6). Uncus lobes narrow and long, evenly curved and tapered to pointed apex; ventral surface covered with mixture of short and thick, and long and slender scales. Basal arms of gnathos short and reinforced, spinose knob small, nearly rounded. Valva broadest in basal part; sacculus strongly concave medially, distally with stout spine; cucullus neither expanded nor produced towards costa, apex nearly rounded; basal fold of costa extended to ⅔ of valva, where it meets distal fold forming broad indistinct hump. Median plate of juxta 3 times as long as broad, proximal end formed as rounded sac; medial margin of juxta lobes strongly sclerotised; lobes elongate, broadest medially, tapered distally; ventral surface with few long and short setae. Digitate process 0.44 × as long as valva, narrow, distally somewhat dilated and setose. Vinculum produced into long, narrow, blunt-tipped saccus. Phallus about 0.9 × as long of valva, narrow, broadest basally, curved at distal 1 / 5; caecum dorsally with cusp-like lobe whose anterior margin is concave; vesica with one needle-like cornutus, about 1 / 8 length of phallus. Biology. Unknown. Flight period. Probably two generations per year. Moths were collected from late October until mid-January and in mid-March. Distribution. Western part of Kenya. Etymology. The species name is derived from the word “ rift ”, as in Rift Valley.

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