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

Elachista silfverbergi sp. nov. Figs 1 A, B, 2, 4E Material examined. Holotype. Ethiopia • ♂; Addis Ababa; 8.9506°N, 38.8256°E; 3–4 Feb. 1974; H. Silfverberg leg.; gen. prep. VS 622; MZH. Paratypes. Ethiopia • 7 ♂; Addis Ababa; 8.9506°N, 38.8256°E; 30 Jan. – 1 Feb. 1974; H. Silfverberg leg.; gen. prep. L. Kaila 1897, 1898, 1899, VS 617; MZH • 2 ♂; same data except date; 1–3 Feb. 1974; gen. prep. L. Kaila 1900, VS 641 • 1 ♂; same data except date; 3–4 Feb. 1974; gen. prep. VS 621 • 1 ♂; same data except date; 4–5 Feb. 1974; gen. prep. VS 640 • 8 ♂; same data except date; 21–23 Feb. 1974; gen. prep. VS 624, VS 625, VS 629 • 4 ♂; same data except date; 23–25 Feb. 1974; gen. prep. VS 626, VS 631 • 3 ♂; same data except date; 25–27 Feb. 1974; gen. prep. VS 620, VS 642 • 12 ♂; same data except date; 18–19 Mar. 1974; gen. prep. L. Kaila 1896, VS 618, VS 619, VS 628, VS 630 • 1 ♂; same data except date; 20–21 Mar. 1974; gen. prep. VS 623 • 1 ♂; Arba Minch; 6.03°N, 37.54°E; 28 Feb. – 1 Mar. 1974; gen. prep. L. Kaila 1387; Mzh. Kenya • 1 ♂; Rift Valley, Prov. Turi; 8000 ft; 4. Mar 1999; DJL Agassiz leg.; gen. prep. L. Kaila 850; DJLA. Diagnosis. Among the known Afrotropical species of the E. praelineata species group, E. silfverbergi can be compared with E. merimnaea Meyrick, 1920, known from South Africa (for external characters and male genitalia, see Parenti 1988, figs 4, 12–15). However, in contrast to E. silfverbergi, moths of E. merimnaea are lightly coloured, the cucullus of the valva is blunt, the phallus lacks a band of spines, and the apex of the phallus is not hooked as in E. silfverbergi. Elachista silfverbergi also resembles E. amamii Parenti, 1983, known from Japan and Thailand (for external characters and male genitalia, see Parenti 1983, table 2, Sugisima 2005, figs 1, 2, 15, 39), and E. simulans Sruoga, 2022, known from Nepal (for external characters and male genitalia, see Sruoga 2022, figs 24–27). However, unlike E. silfverbergi, in those species the saccus is prominent and narrow, the phallus lacks a band of spines, and the apex of the phallus is not as hooked as in E. silfverbergi. Description. Male. (Fig. 1 A, B). Forewing length 3.6–4.5 mm; wingspan 7.8–9.4 mm (N = 42). Head: frons white to off-white, vertex whitish-grey intermixed with brownish-grey, some scales with darkened tips, neck tuft brownish-grey; labial palpus 1.3–1.5 times as long as width of head, off-white above and greyish-brown below; scape and first flagellomere blackish-brown, flagellum brownish-grey, pecten off-white. Thorax, tegula, and forewing strongly mottled with scales, basally off-white and distally grey-brown; antemedian transverse fascia white, blurred, interrupted at middle, present as two small white spots near costal and dorsal margins; small costal and tornal spots blurred, off-white; fringe brownish-grey. Hindwing and its fringe brownish-grey. Female. Unknown. Male genitalia (Fig. 2). Uncus lobes widely apart from each other, longer than wide, broadest before middle, 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 rounded, about as large as width of uncus lobe at its widest point. Valva long and narrow, about four times as long as wide at costal hump; basal fold of costa extended to 1 / 2 of valva, beyond it with small, broad hump; cucullus long, slightly bent towards costa. Median plate of juxta with a pair of dorsally directed lateral pockets. Juxta lobes large, median margin straight, joining straight distal margin at right angle, distal margin convex, ventral surface distally with long setae. Digitate process wide basally, nearly parallel or slightly varying in shape from middle, sometimes with single seta near tip (Fig. 2 C). Vinculum V-shaped, saccus short, not prominent, varies slightly in length and width, with weak median ridge in some specimens. Phallus about 0.7 as long as valva, weakly bent before middle, caecum small, 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. Adults were collected from early January until early March. Distribution. Central and south-western Ethiopia and south-western Kenya. Etymology. The species is named after the Finnish entomologist Hans Silfverberg, who collected most type material.