Elachista maritimella McDunnough 1942

Elachista maritimella McDunnough (Figs. 85, 85a, 132.)
1942. Elachista maritimella McDunnough, Canad. Ent., lxxiv, 224. Type <5, Bathurst, New Brunswick [No. 5269, Can. Nat. Coll.].
Head whitish ; palpi wholly white in the palest specimens, varying to dark fuscous on the lower and outer sides of the second segment in darker, dusted specimens ; antennae brownish, with pale annulations. Fore wings very pale ocherous, with faintly indicated whitish irregular fasciae before the middle and at two-thirds; in darker specimens, in which the scales of the ground color are brownish-tipped, the median fascia is better defined, and the second fascia is broken into the usual pair of costal and dorsal spots. Cilia yellowish ; in the darkest specimens a row of narrowly dark-tipped scales toward tornus. Hind wings pale smoky; in the darker specimens darkened and irrorate with grayish brown. Both pairs of wings beneath varying from immaculate whitish ocherous to densely grayish brown dusted. Legs whitish, more or less shaded with fuscous, in proportion to the general darkening of the wings. Abdomen usually pale yellowish, but in the darker specimens, entirely fuscous, except the anal tuft.
Alar expanse : 9 to 10 mm.
Male genitalia (figs. 85, 85a) : of the usual type of the section; lobes of uncus large; gnathos a small spined knob; sacculus processes club-shaped; anellus lobes tapering to a point; vinculum produced into a point; aedeagus produced basally into a short blind sac ; cornuti, one short broad-based spine and a group of minute spines.
Female genitalia (fig. 132): lobes of ovipositor elongate; ductus bursae sclerotized well into segment 6, its not-greatly dilated part before ostium cylindrical ; ostium spinulate ; bursa copulatrix spiculate, signum crescentic, arms dentate.
Specimens examined: 22 $ , 11 9.
New Brunswick: Bathurst, 1 $ paratype, 24.VI.1941 (T. N. Freeman), [A. F. B. Coll. ex type series] ; 1 S paratype, 24.VI.1941 [in U. S. N. M. ex type series].
Nova Scotia: Parrsboro and Ottawa House, Parrsboro, 20 $ , 11 9, 29.VI.1944 to 8.VII.1944 (J. McDunnough), [C. N. Coll.].
Food plant and early stages unknown.
In the original description Dr. McDunnough wrote : "The [type] series was taken on the salt coastal meadows a few miles north of Bathurst."
Maritimella can not be allied to the European subalbidella Schlag., as McDunnough suggests, as this latter species by genitalia (see Pierce and Metcalfe, Genitalia of the British Tineina, 1935, Plate XXV) belongs in Section I, in which the cell of the hind wing is closed. In wing markings, darker specimens of maritimella resemble staintonella Chambers.

Currently unknown but specimen collection is limited which may or may not be indicative of actual population sizes.

Collection has occurred in June, July and August (Kaila 1999).

Specimens have been collected in New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan (Kaila 1999) and Alberta.

Adults have lanceolate wings with an indistinct brownish fringe line (Kaila 1999). The forewing colouration is quite variable and can range from solid, light yellow to patterned gray (Kaila 1999). On the forewing, a white spot may be present in the costal forewing region and the hindwings are typically grey (Kaila 1999). Forewing length varies between 3.8 to 4.8 mm (Kaila 1999). Because this species is so varied superficially, genitalic characteristics can aid identification. Male E. maritimella is characterized by large uncus lobes which are separated by a narrow median line and a line of cornuti will be evident on the aedeagus (Kaila 1999). In the females the antrum is wine glass shaped and a membranous line can be seen in the ductus bursae (Kaila 1999).

Not reported but E. maritimella has been collected on salt coastal meadows (McDunnough 1942) and on vegetation bordering roads (Kaila 1999).

Adults of related species are active during dusk and dawn periods but can occasionally be nocturnal (Kaila 1997). Adults of this genus are generally not noted as readily attracted to lights (Kaila 1997).

Larvae of related species are grass leafminers (Kaila 1997).

Elachista maritimella is a moth of the family Elachistidae first described by James Halliday McDunnough in 1942. It is found in Canada, where it has been recorded from New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The habitat consists of salt coastal meadows and vegetation bordering roads.

The wingspan is 9–10 mm. The forewings are variable in colouration, ranging from light yellow to patterned grey. There may be a white spot on the forewing costal region. The hindwings are grey.