38.043 Elachista scirpi (Saltern Rush-miner)
ws: 10-12mm; Jun-Aug; sea club-rush (Bolboschoenus maritimus), saltmarsh rush (Juncus gerardii), round-fruited rush (Juncus compressus); NS-A on saltmarsh and brackish marsh on the coasts of England and Wales.
Synonym: Biselachista scirpi (MBGBI3)
Synonym: Biselachista scirpi (MBGBI3)
Elachista scirpi §1 male
ID: On external features this rather worn specimen should have keyed in Group A (fw unicolorous) or B (fw pale with darker markings). On genital dissection however the gnathos is paired making it one of the former Biselachista species, none of which feature in Groups A or B. E.trapeziella and E.cinereopunctella have a notched uncus without very distinct lobes. E.serricornis has a deeply cleft uncus with a pair of long narrow lobes. E.albidella has a spine at the apex of the ventral edge of the valva. E.utonella has the basal portion of the valva broader than the apical portion. The genitalia of E.scirpi and E.eleochariella seem quite similar - the dorsal margin of the valva appears more angular in E.eleochariella. The habitat preference of E.scirpi for saltmarsh and E.eleochariella for marshy peat clearly favours the former. However, note that this specimen is smaller than the quoted range.
Male genitalia
§1 Foulness, Essex; 13/07/2013; male; fw 4.0mm
All images © Chris Lewis
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 19/12/2013 (§1) | Genus changed from, Biselachista 12/03/2014
