Elachista


Elachista is a genus of gelechioid moths described by Georg Friedrich Treitschke in 1833. It is the type genus of the grass-miner moth family. This family is sometimes 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.
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.

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. They seem to be at least as closely related to E. bifasciella 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.
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. Some of these groups are placed in either of the two large subgenera Elachista and Elachista . Other proposed subgenera - the small Elachista and Elachista - 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.

Subgenus ''Elachista'' (''Aphelosetia'')

argentella group
  • Elachista acenteta
  • Elachista achrantella
  • Elachista adempta
  • Elachista adianta
  • Elachista anagna
  • Elachista aphyodes
  • Elachista apina
  • Elachista arena
  • Elachista argentella
  • Elachista argillacea
  • Elachista aspila
  • Elachista aurocristata
  • Elachista conidia
  • Elachista coniophora
  • Elachista controversa
  • Elachista dissona
  • Elachista epimicta
  • Elachista granosa
  • Elachista griseicornis
  • Elachista hololeuca
  • Elachista inopina
  • Elachista ischnella
  • Elachista lamina
  • Elachista lomionella
  • Elachista loriella
  • Elachista louisella
  • Elachista lurida
  • Elachista nubila
  • Elachista nucula
  • Elachista orestella
  • Elachista ossuaria
  • Elachista patriodoxa
  • Elachista perniva
  • Elachista ripula Kaila, 1998
  • Elachista sabulella
  • Elachista scobifera
  • Elachista sincera
  • Elachista spatiosa
  • Elachista symmorpha
  • Elachista synopla
  • Elachista thelma
  • Elachista triangulifera
  • Elachista triatomea
  • Elachista virgatula Kaila, 1997
File:Elachista pullicomella.jpg|thumb|right|Adult male Elachista pullicomella specimen from Tvärminne, Hanko Peninsula, Finland
bedellella/unifasciella group
  • Elachista adscitella Stainton, 1851
  • Elachista antonia Kaila, 2007
  • Elachista bedellella
  • Elachista bisulcella
  • Elachista bruuni Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista camilla Kaila, 2007
  • Elachista cahorsensis Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista chrysodesmella Zeller, 1850
  • Elachista cingillella
  • Elachista collitella
  • Elachista crocogastra Meyrick, 1908
  • Elachista dispilella Zeller, 1839
  • Elachista dispunctella
  • Elachista distigmatella Frey, 1859
  • Elachista dorinda Kaila, 2007
  • Elachista fasciola Parenti, 1983
  • Elachista festucicolella Zeller, 1853
  • Elachista gangabella Zeller, 1850
  • Elachista gregori Traugott-Olsen, 1988
  • Elachista heinemanni Frey, 1866
  • Elachista istanella Nielsen & Traugott-Olsen, 1987
  • Elachista laetella Rebel, 1930
  • Elachista levasi Sruoga, 1998
  • Elachista littoricola Le Marchand, 1938
  • Elachista lugdunensis Frey, 1859
  • Elachista metella Kaila, 2002
  • Elachista nedaella Traugott-Olsen, 1985
  • Elachista nitidulella
  • Elachista nolckeni Sulcs, 1992
  • Elachista obliquella Stainton, 1854
  • Elachista pollinariella Zeller, 1839
  • Elachista pollutissima Staudinger, 1880
  • Elachista pullicomella
  • Elachista purella Sruoga, 2000
  • Elachista revinctella Zeller, 1850
  • Elachista rudectella Stainton, 1851
  • Elachista slivenica Kaila, 2007
  • Elachista squamosella
  • Elachista subalbidella
  • Elachista subocellea
  • Elachista sutteri Kaila, 2002
  • Elachista tinctella Sinev & Sruoga, 1995
  • Elachista titanella Kaila & Jalava, 1994
  • Elachista triseriatella Stainton, 1854
  • Elachista unifasciella
  • Elachista versicolora Kaila, 2007
  • Elachista cf. dispunctella 'Volgograd Oblast'
Elachista incertae sedis
  • Elachista acutella Kaila, 2003
  • Elachista aeruginosa Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista afghana Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista agelensis Traugott-Olsen, 1996
  • Elachista amparoae Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista amseli Rebel, 1833
  • Elachista andorraensis Traugott-Olsen, 1988
  • Elachista anitella Traugott-Olsen, 1985
  • Elachista arduella Kaila, 2003
  • Elachista arenbergeri Traugott-Olsen, 1988
  • Elachista atrisquamosa Staudinger, 1880
  • Elachista baldizzonei Traugott-Olsen, 1996
  • Elachista baldizzonella Traugott-Olsen, 1985
  • Elachista bazaella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista bazaensis Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista bengtssoni Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista berndtiella Traugott-Olsen, 1985
  • Elachista bigorrensis Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista blancella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista casascoensis Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista catalana Parenti, 1978
  • Elachista catalunella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista chamaea Kaila, 2003
  • Elachista chionella Mann, 1861
  • Elachista cirrhoplica Kaila, 2012
  • Elachista clintoni Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista constitella Frey, 1859
  • Elachista contisella Chrétien, 1922
  • Elachista cornuta Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista cretula Kaila, 2011
  • Elachista cuencaensis Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista curonensis Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista dalmatiensis Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista deceptricula Staudinger, 1880
  • Elachista derbendi Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista disemiella Zeller, 1847
  • Elachista drenovoi Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista dumosa Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista elsaella Traugott-Olsen, 1988
  • Elachista enochra Kaila, 2011
  • Elachista esmeralda Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista exigua Parenti, 1978
  • Elachista filicornella Kaila, 1992
  • Elachista flavescens Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista fuscibasella Chrétien, 1915
  • Elachista galactitella Eversmann, 1844
  • Elachista galbina Kaila, 2012
  • Elachista gebzeensis Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista gerdmaritella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista gibbera Kaila, 2003
  • Elachista gielisi Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista gilvula Kaila, 2012
  • Elachista glaseri Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista gormella Nielsen & Traugott-Olsen, 1987
  • Elachista graeca Parenti, 2002
  • Elachista grandella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista grotenfelti Kaila, 2012
  • Elachista habeleri Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista hallini Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista hedemanni Rebel, 1899
  • Elachista heringi Rebel, 1899
  • Elachista hispanica Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista ilicrina Falkovich, 1986
  • Elachista imbi Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista intrigella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista jaeckhi Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista jubarella Kaila, 2011
  • Elachista kabuli Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista karsholti Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista kasyi Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista klimeschiella Parenti, 2002
  • Elachista latipenella Sinev & Budashkin, 1991
  • Elachista lerauti Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista liskai Kaila, 2011
  • Elachista louiseae Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista luqueti Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista maboulella Chretien, 1915
  • Elachista maculata Parenti, 1978
  • Elachista madridensis Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista mannella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista manni Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista melancholica Frey, 1859
  • Elachista michelseni Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista microdigitata Parenti, 1983
  • Elachista minusculella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista moroccoensis Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista modesta Parenti, 1978
  • Elachista multipunctata Sruoga, 1990
  • Elachista multipunctella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista neapolisella Traugott-Olsen, 1985
  • Elachista nevadensis Parenti, 1978
  • Elachista nielspederi Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista nuraghella Amsel, 1951
  • Elachista occidentella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista occulta Parenti, 1978
  • Elachista ohridella Parenti, 2001
  • Elachista olemartini Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista olschwangi Kaila, 2003
  • Elachista oukaimedenensis Traugott-Olsen, 1988
  • Elachista ozeini Parenti, 2004
  • Elachista parvula Parenti, 1978
  • Elachista passerini Traugott-Olsen, 1996
  • Elachista phragmitella Sruoga, 1992
  • Elachista pocopunctella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista pollutella Duponchel, 1843
  • Elachista povolnyi Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista punctella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista rikkeae Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista rissaniensis Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista rutjani Kaila, 2011
  • Elachista senecai Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista sinevi Traugott
  • Elachista skulei Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista spumella Caradja, 1920
  • Elachista steueri Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista subula Parenti, 1991
  • Elachista svenssoni Traugott-Olsen, 1988
  • Elachista szocsi Parenti, 1978
  • Elachista teruelensis Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista totanaensis Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista toveella Traugott-Olsen, 1985
  • Elachista tribertiella Traugott-Olsen, 1985
  • Elachista turkensis Traugott-Olsen, 1990
  • Elachista unicornis Parenti, 1991
  • Elachista vanderwolfi Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista varensis Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista vartianae Parenti, 1981
  • Elachista vegliae Parenti, 1978
  • Elachista veletaella Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista vivesi Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista vulcana Kaila, 2011
  • Elachista wadielhiraensis Traugott-Olsen, 1992
  • Elachista zuernbaueri Traugott-Olsen, 1990