Elachista wieseriella

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Elachista wieseriella
Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Grass miners (Elachistidae)
Subfamily : Elachistinae
Genre : Elachista
Type : Elachista wieseriella
Scientific name
Elachista wieseriella
Huemer , 2000

Elachista wieseriella is a butterfly (moth) fromthe grass leaf miner family (Elachistidae).

features

The moths reach a wingspan of 10.4 to 11.5 millimeters for the males and 10.1 to 10.8 millimeters for the females. The head, thorax and tegulae are pale ocher. The abdomen is gray. It is lateral and light ocher at the ventral segment margins. The antennae of the males are monochrome dark gray, while those of the females are ringed gray-brown. The labial palps are very long and light whitish to ocher in color. The second link is scaled gray-brown on the outside and ventrally. The forewings are narrow and pale ocher monochrome on top. The costal half is darkened in varying narrow dark gray from the base to the middle of the wing. The hind wings are gray-black on the top and bottom and have gray fringed scales.

In the males, the uncus has a deep and V-shaped neckline. The uncus lobes are large, evenly semicircular and rounded. The tegumen is narrow and has a clearly separated saccus. The valves are narrow at the base and widen significantly from the first third. They are cut off at the top and appear subrectangular. The heavily sclerotized Costa has an additional cusp at 3/4 of its length and the last fifth is bulbous. At ¼ of the valve length there is an orthogonally inwardly curved, sclerotized ridge. The juxta is broad and lobe-shaped. A finger-shaped extension is relatively wide and evenly bordered. The aedeagus is slender, only moderately sclerotized and tapers towards the tip. The apex has two points; Cornuti are not trained.

In the females, the Apophyses posteriores and the Apophyses anteriores are rod-shaped and approximately the same length. The 8th  tergite is very broad and short. It is outlined almost in a straight line. The antrum is slender, cup-shaped and sclerotized to the posterior margin. The posterior half of the bursal duct is very slender, tubular and heavily sclerotized. The anterior half expands and is membranous. The corpus bursae is large, pear-shaped and finely sculptured. The sign is strikingly large. It is broad, not curved, and strongly serrated.

Similar species

Elachista wieseriella is assigned to the Elachista cerusella subgroup because of the structure of the male genitals . This is represented in Europe with only a few species:

All five species differ in the habitus and structure of the genitals. The species Elachista stenopterella described from Albania is similar to Elachista wieseriella , but has light ocher-colored antennae and the forewings are not darkened in the basal half. Further distinguishing features are the light undersides of the forewings and the light gray hind wings. The genital armature of the males has smaller uncus lobes and distally narrower valves, a short saccus and a thicker and shorter aedeagus. Elachista Lastrella as elachista wieseriella also monochrome. Here the males are colored gray, but have distinctly different genital fittings. The remaining species can be differentiated by the more or less well developed forewing markings and the fringing line.

distribution and habitat

Elachista wieseriella occurs only in Austria in the area of ​​the Mussen near St. Jakob in the Lesachtal at an altitude of 1650 to 1800 meters. It is remarkable that the species is not found in the neighboring Lienz Dolomites , South Tyrolean Dolomites and Julian Alps .

The vegetation at the locality is sub-alpine lime-rich mountain meadows , these are gold fescue - mountain mowers , bristle grass - eyrie sedge grass and possibly other associations. The rare white funnel lily ( Paradisea liliastrum ) appears as a conspicuous companion plant.

The species was first described after the Red List for Carinthia was drawn up, so there is no classification. The species is endangered by encroaching bushes on the mountain meadows. However, large parts of the museums are regularly mowed again with subsidies from the State of Carinthia. Elachista wieseriella is not protected. The type locality is, however, designated as a Natura 2000 area.

biology

Little is known about the biology of the species. It is believed that the caterpillars , like those of other Elachista species, mine in the leaves of sweet grasses (Poaceae). The moths fly at the location of the holotype from mid-June to early August and come to light in small numbers . The abundance maximum is reached at dusk and is typical of many leaf miner species. During this period, the moths are the most common butterfly species on the rough meadows.

etymology

Elachista wieseriella was named after its discoverer, the Carinthian zoologist Christian Wieser.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Peter Huemer : Elachista wieseriella sp. n., a new butterfly species from Carinthia (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae). In: Carinthia II . 190./110. Volume, Klagenfurt 2000, pp. 127-134 ( PDF (4.9 MB) on ZOBODAT ).
  2. ↑ Elachista wieseriella at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved January 4, 2012
  3. ↑ Peter Huemer: Lepidoptera, In: Wolfgang Rabitsch, Franz Essl: Endemiten - treasures in Austria's flora and fauna. Natural Science Association for Carinthia and Federal Environment Agency GmbH, Klagenfurt and Vienna 2009, ISBN 978-3-85328-049-2 , here p. 824f.

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