Elachista conica Sruoga & Kaila, 2026, sp. nov.

Elachista conica sp. nov. Figs 1 H, I, 4 Material examined. Holotype. Ethiopia • ♂; Gemu Gofa, Arba Minch; 6.03°N, 37.54°E; 28 Feb. – 1 Mar. 1974; H. Silfverberg leg.; gen. prep. L. Kaila 1388; MZH. Diagnosis. Among the species of the E. praelineata species group, E. conica can be readily separated by its peculiar shape of the valva with a narrow, tapered cucullus and a strongly reduced spinose knob of the gnathos. As such, E. conica cannot be confused with any other known species of the E. praelineata species group. Description. Male. (Fig. 1 H, I). Forewing length 4.0 mm; wingspan 8.6 mm (N = 1). Head: frons yellowish-white, vertex, and neck tuft yellowish-white, with few brownish-grey tipped scales; labial palpus 1.4 times as long as width of head, yellowish-white above and brownish-grey below; antenna brownish-grey, in distal half with slightly raised scales and weakly annulated with paler rings. Thorax, tegula, and forewing ground colour greyish-white, variably covered by greyish-brown tipped scales; fringe brownish-grey. Hindwing and its fringe brownish-grey. Female. Unknown. Male genitalia. (Fig. 4 A – D). Uncus lobes widely apart from each other, broadest in basal part, longer than wide, tapered distally, setae on ventral surface dense, scale-like near apex and along lateral margin, becoming longer and thinner in mediobasal part. Socius with a few long setae. Spinose knob of gnathos very small and weakly sclerotized, in shape of two drop-like lobes. Valva broadest in basal part, about four times as long as wide at costal hump; basal fold of costa extended to 1 / 2 of valva, beyond it with small, inconspicuous hump; cucullus long and narrow, gradually tapered towards apex. Median plate of juxta with a pair of large dorsally directed lateral pockets. Juxta lobes large, separated from each other with shallow incision; median margin straight, joining straight distal margin at right angle, distal margin convex, ventral surface distally with long setae. Digitate process glabrous, almost parallel-sided. Vinculum V-shaped, saccus short, not prominent. Phallus about 0.8 as long as valva, straight, caecum narrow and long, apex acute, and curved to form strongly sclerotized hook; ventral surface with band of proximally directed small spines in apical 1 / 3; vesica without cornuti. Biology. Unknown. Flight period. The single specimen was collected at the end of February or in early March. Distribution. So far, this species is known only from south-western Ethiopia. Etymology. From the Latin conica, the feminine form of the adjective conicus, meaning “ conical ” in reference to the shape of the valva. Remarks. The holotype moth is somewhat abraded. Therefore, the description is approximate.