Abstract
No Elachistinae have ever been recorded from Kenya. Here, we present nine taxa, including the descriptions of eight new species: Elachista brevis sp. n., E. kakamegensis sp. n., E. longispina sp. n., E. planca sp. n., Perittia falciferella sp. n., P. gnoma sp. n., P. spatulata sp. n., and P. tantilla sp. n. The new species are diagnosed and illustrated with drawings and photographs of the adults and genitalia. Elachista chelonitis Meyrick is reported for the first time from Kenya. The genus Cleroptila Meyrick is considered to be a synonym of Elachista Treitschke (syn. n.) and Gautengia Kemal & Koçak a synonym of Perittia Stainton (syn. n.). A checklist of Afrotropical Elachistinae is presented.References
Althof, A.J. (2008) Study area, vegetation and sample sites of systematic moth trapping. In: Kühne, L. (Ed.), Butterflies and moth diversity of the Kakamega forest (Kenya). Branderburgische Universitätsdruckerei und Verlagsgesellschaft, Berlin, pp. 13–29.
Axmacher, J.C., Kühne, L. & Vohland, K. (2008) Notes on α- and β-diversity pattern of selected moth families. In: Kühne, L. (Ed.), Butterflies and moth diversity of the Kakamega forest (Kenya). Branderburgische Universitätsdruckerei und Verlagsgesellschaft, Berlin, pp. 35–46.
Bland, K.P. (1996) Elachistidae. In: Emmet, A.M. (Ed.), The moths and butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Harley Books, Colchester, pp. 339–410.
Bradley, J.D. (1965) Ruwenzori Expedition 1952. Microlepidoptera. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), 2(2), 81–148.
Braun, A. (1948) Elachistidae of North America (Microlepidoptera). Memoirs of the American Entomological Society, 13, 1–110.
Clarke, G.P. & Robertson, S.A. (2000) Vegetation communities. In: Burgess, N.D. & Clarke, G.P. (Eds.), Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa. IUCN, Gland, Cambridge, pp. 83–102.
Hodges, R.W. (1998) The Gelechioidea. In: Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.), Handbook of Zoology IV/35, Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Vol. 1. Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York, pp. 131–158.
Kaila, L. (1992) The Elachistidae of southern Siberia and Central Asia, with descriptions of five new species (Lepidoptera). Entomologica Fennica, 3, 177–194.
Kaila, L. (1995) A revision of the North American Perittia (=Onceroptila), with first Nearctic records of the genus Mendesia (Elachistidae). Journal of the Lepidopterist’s Society, 49(3), 208–222.
Kaila, L. (1996) Revision of the Nearctic species of Elachista I. The tetragonella group (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae). Entomologica scandinavica, 27, 217–238.
Kaila, L. (1997) A revision of the Nearctic species of Elachista s. l. II. The argentella group (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae). Acta Zoologica Fennica, 206, 1–93.
Kaila, L. (1999a) Phylogeny and classification of the Elachistidae s. s. (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea). Systematic Entomology, 24(2), 139–169.
Kaila, L. (1999b) A revision of the Nearctic species of the genus Elachista s. l. III. The bifasciella, praelineata, saccharella and freyerella groups (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae). Acta Zoologica Fennica, 211, 1–235.
Kaila, L. (1999c) A review of the South-American Elachistidae s. str. (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea) with descriptions of 15 new species. Steenstrupia, 25, 159–193.
Kaila, L. (2004) Phylogeny of the superfamily Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera: Ditrysia) an exemplar approach. Cladistics, 20(4), 303–340.
Kaila, L. (2007) A taxonomic revision of the Elachista bedellella (Sircom) complex (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae: Elachistinae). Zootaxa, 1629, 1–25.
Kaila, L. & Junnilainen, J. (2002) Taxonomy and identification of Elachista cingillella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1855) and its close relatives (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae), with descriptions of two new species. Entomologica Fennica, 13, 167–188.
Kaila, L. & Karsholt, O. (2002) Contribution to the Lepidoptera fauna of the Madeira islands 3. Elachistidae. Beiträge zur Entomologie, 52, 225–233.
Kaila, L., Nupponen, K., Junnilainen, J., Nupponen, T., Kaitila, J.-P. & Olschwang, V. (2003) Contribution to the fauna of Elachistidae (Lepidoptera) of the Southern Ural Mountains. Entomologica Fennica, 14, 65–90.
Kaila, L. & Ståhls, G. (2006) DNA barcodes: Evaluating the potential of COI to diffentiate closely related species of Elachista (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Elachistidae) from Australia. Zootaxa, 1170, 1–26.
Kemal, M. & Koçak, A.Ö. (2006) List of Elachistidae species in South Africa (Lepidoptera). Centre for Entomological Studies Ankara, Miscellaneous Papers, 99, 3–5.
Kielland, J. & Cordeiro, N.J. (2000) Butterflies. In: Burgess, N.D. & Clarke, G.P. (Eds.), Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa. IUCN, Gland, Cambridge, pp. 225–233.
KIFCON (1994) Kenya Indigenous Forest Conservation Programme, x+53 pp.
Kokwaro, J.O. (1988) Conservation status of the Kakamega Forest in Kenya: The easternmost relic of the equatorial rain forest of Africa. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden, 25, 471–489.
Kristensen, N.P. (2003) Skeleton and muscles: adults. In: Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.), Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Vol. 2. Morphology, Physiology, and Development. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York, pp. 39–122.
Kühne, L. (2008) Introduction. In: Kühne, L. (Ed.), Butterflies and moth diversity of the Kakamega forest (Kenya). Branderburgische Universitätsdruckerei und Verlagsgesellschaft, Berlin, pp. 5–8.
KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) (2009). URL: http://www.kws.go.ke/ (accessed 4 February 2009).
Lehmann, I. (2008) Ten new species of Metarbelidae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea) from the coastal forests and the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya and Tanzania, including one species from two upland forests. Journal of East African Natural History, 97(1), 43–82.
Mey, W. (2007) Microlepidoptera: smaller families. In: Mey, W. (Ed.), The Lepidoptera of the Brandberg Massif in Namibia. Part 2. Esperiana Memoir 4, 9–30.
Meyrick, E. (1908) Descriptions of African Micro-Lepidoptera. Proceedings of the zoological Society of London, 47, 716–756.
Meyrick, E. (1909) Descriptions of Transvaal Micro-Lepidoptera. Annals of the Transvaal Museum, 2(1), 1–28.
Meyrick, E. (1911) Descriptions of Transvaal Micro-Lepidoptera II. Annals of the Transvaal Museum, 2(4), 218–240.
Meyrick, E. (1913) Descriptions of South African Micro-Lepidoptera IV. Annals of the Transvaal Museum, 3(4), 267–336.
Meyrick, E. (1914a) Descriptions of South African Micro-Lepidoptera V. Annals of the Transvaal Museum, 4(4), 187–205.
Meyrick, E. (1914b) Exotic Microlepidoptera, 1(7), 193–224.
Meyrick, E. (1918) Descriptions of South African Micro-Lepidoptera. Annals of the Transvaal Museum, 6(2), 7–59.
Meyrick, E. (1920) Descriptions of South African Micro-Lepidoptera VI. Annals of the South African Museum, 17(4), 273–318.
Meyrick, E. (1921) Descriptions of South African Micro-Lepidoptera. Annals of the Transvaal Museum, 8(2), 49–148.
Meyrick, E. (1926) New South African Micro-Lepidoptera. Annals of the South African Museum, 23, 325–351.
Meyrick, E. (1932a) Entomological expedition to Abyssinia. 1926–7. Microlepidoptera. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, 80(1), 106–120.
Meyrick, E. (1932b) Exotic Microlepidoptera, 4(7), 193–224.
Meyrick, E. (1938) Pterophoridae, Tortricina and Tineina. Exploration du Parc National Albert, 14, 1–28.
Parenti, U. (1972) Revisione degli Elachistidi (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae) paleartici. I. – I Tipi di Elachistidi del Museo di Storia naturale di Parigi. Bollettino del Museo di Zoologia dell Universita di Torino, 2, 29–56.
Parenti, U. (1981) Nuove specie di Elachistidi paleartici (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae). I. Bollettino del Museo di Zoologia dell’Universita di Torino, 4, 49–64.
Parenti, U. (1983) Elachistidi del Giappone (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae). Bollettino del Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali – Torino, 1(1), 1–20.
Parenti, U. (1988) About some African and Asiatic species of the family Elachistidae (Lepidoptera) described by E. Meyrick. Stapfia, 16, 185–198.
Parenti, U. (1996) Elachistidae. In: Karsholt, O & Razowski, J. (Eds.), The Lepidoptera of Europe. Apollo Books, Stenstrup, pp. 68–73.
Parenti, U. (2006) Elachista basii Parenti, a new species of Elachistidae from Nepal and Elachista crocogastra Meyrick in Madagascar (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae). SHILAP Revista de lepidopterologia, 34(134), 141–144.
Parenti, U. & Varalda, P.J. (1994) Gli Elachistidi (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae) e le loro piante ospiti. Bollettino del Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali – Torino, 12(1), 73–136.
Powell, J.A. (1980) Evolution of larval food preferences in microlepidoptera. Annual Review of Entomology, 25, 133–159.
Robinson, G.S. (1976) The preparation of slides of Lepidoptera genitalia with special reference to the Microlepidoptera. Entomologist’s Gazette, 27, 127–132.
Sinev, S.Y. (2002) World catalogue of Cosmopterigid moths (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae). Proceedings of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 293, 1–182.
Sinev, S.Y. & Sruoga, V.A. (1997) Fam. Elachistidae (Lepidoptera). In: Ler, P.A. (Ed.), Key to the insects of Russian Far East. Vol. V. Trichoptera and Lepidoptera. Pt. 1. Dal’nauka, Vladivostok, pp. 491–502 (in Russian).
Sruoga, V. (1990) Seven new species of Elachistidae (Lepidoptera) from the USSR. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 133, 75–84.
Sruoga, V. (2000) Three new species of Elachista Treitschke (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae) from Central Asia. Acta Zoologica Lituanica, 10(2), 54–61.
Sruoga, V. (2002) Re-descriptions of two Meyrick’s types of Elachista (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae) from the Sub-Saharan Africa. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 49(1), 137–141.
Sruoga, V.A. & Puplesis, R.K. (1992) New species of gramineal elachistid moths (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae) from Middle Asia and Kazakhstan. Entomologicheskoye Obozrenie, 71(2), 428–441 (in Russian).
Sugisima, K. (2005a) A revision of the Elachista praelineata-group (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae) in Japan, with comments on morphology of the pupa in Elachista. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 148, 1–19.
Sugisima, K. (2005b) Japanese Elachista studied by Parenti (1983) (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae): the subgenus Aphelosetia and the gleichenella-, tetragonella-, and bifasciella-groups. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 148, 225–246.
Sugisima, K. (2005c) Japanese species of the Elachista cingillella-complex (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae s. str.). Bulletin of the National Science Museum, Tokyo, Ser. A, 31(4), 157–182.
Sugisima, K. & Kaila, L. (2005) Japanese Elachista (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae s. str.) mining on the leaf of woody Poaceae. Entomologica Fennica, 16, 83–102.
Traugott-Olsen, E. (1992) The Elachista dispunctella (Duponchel, 1843) complex with descriptions of new taxa (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae). SHILAP Revista de Lepidopterologia, 20(79), 197–316.
Traugott-Olsen, E. (1995) Phylogeny of the subfamily Elachistinae s. str. Part II. Perittiini, with some taxonomic revision and descriptions of new taxa (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae). SHILAP Revista de lepidopterologia, 23(91), 257–290.
Traugott-Olsen, E. & Nielsen, E.S. (1977) The Elachistidae (Lepidoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, 6, 1–299.
Vári, L. & Kroon, D.M. (1986) South African Lepidoptera. A series of cross-referenced indices. Lepidopterists’ Society of Southern Africa & the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, x+198 pp.
Vári, L., Kroon, D.M. & Krüger, M. (2002) Classification and checklist of the species of Lepidoptera recorded in Southern Africa. Simple Solutions, Chastwood, xxi+385 pp.
Wass, P. (Ed.) (1995) IUCN Forest Conservation Programme. Kenya’s Indigenous Forests. Status, Managements and Conservation. The World Conservation Union, Gland, Cambridge, 135 pp, 14 appendices.
White, G.F. (1983) Vegetation of Africa: A descriptive memoir to accompany the Unesco/AETFAT/UNSO vegetation map of Africa. Natural resources research / Unesco XX, Paris, 356 pp.
Wollaston, T.V. (1879) Notes on the Lepidoptera of St. Helena, with descriptions of new species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, (5)3, 415–441.