Megacraspedus trineae, Huemer, Peter & Karsholt, Ole, 2018

Huemer, Peter & Karsholt, Ole, 2018, Revision of the genus Megacraspedus Zeller, 1839, a challenging taxonomic tightrope of species delimitation (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), ZooKeys 800, pp. 1-278 : 61-62

Megacraspedus trineae sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "Portugal BB [= prov. Beira Baixa] Serra de Estréla Torre, 1600-1950 m 10.-11.vii.1986 O. Karsholt" "Gen. Præparat No 3355 ♂ H. Hendriksen" (ZMUC). Paratypes. Portugal. 12 ♂, same data as holotype, but genitalia slide GEL 1206 Huemer (TLMF, ZMUC); 1 ♂, Braçais, Castello de Vide, Alto Alentejo, 9.v.1999, leg. M. Corley, genitalia slide 2003 Corley (RCMC); 3 ♂, Poco do Inferno, 1100 m, 6.vii.2014, leg. M.F.V. Corley, genitalia prep. (in glycerin) (RCMC). Spain. 1 ♂, Castilia, viii.1886, leg. O. Staudinger, genitalia slide Mus. Vind. 16.655 (NHMW); 1 ♂, prov. Segovia, San Ildefonso, 23.vi. [without year], leg. Staudinger, genitalia prep. (in glycerin); 1 ♂, same data, but 21.vi., leg. O. Staudinger; 1 ♂, same data, but 10.vii, leg. O. Staudinger (ZMHU). No collecting data. 1 ♂, 25.vi., coll. O. Staudinger (ZMHU). Excluded from the type-series (see Remarks): Spain. 1 ♂, prov. Avila, 5 km NW Guisando, 1150-1400 m, 21.vi.2012, leg. T. Nupponen, genitalia slide 5014 Tabell (ZMUC).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 46). Wingspan 12-13 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with moderately long scale brush, brownish on outer surface, white mottled with brown on inner surface, otherwise white; segment 3 white, mottled with black on outer surface and with black tip. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum blackish brown ringed with light grey. Head cream-white, thorax, and tegula as forewing. Forewing bone white, mottled with light brown in costal half; a weak black dot at end of cell; costa blackish brown at base, otherwise white; fringes light grey. Hindwing greyish with concolorous fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. A rather variable species. The colour of the forewing varies from almost plain bone white to light brownish with a white costa. A rather indistinct black dot is sometimes present at the end of the cell. Sometimes there are a few black scales at the end of the cell and/or near apex.

Male genitalia (Figs 180-181). Uncus moderately slender, about two times longer than wide, sub-rectangular with broadly rounded apex; gnathos hook strong, about length of uncus, weakly curved with pointed apex; anterior margin of tegumen with deep V-shaped emargination, pedunculi small, suboval; valva straight, moderately slender, basal part wider than distal part, extending to about apex of uncus, apically rounded; short, digitate sacculus at medial part of valva, weakly separated; posterior margin of vinculum with moderate medial emargination, weakly rounded lateral humps, broad semi-oval sclerites extending from sclerotised posterior edge of saccus to sub-basal part of valva; saccus massive, suboval, with abruptly tapered apex, ratio maximum width to length approaching 1, posterior margin arched, with shallow medial emargination, medial part with strongly sclerotised longitudinal ridge extending to anterior third of saccus, lateral sclerites short, about half length of maximum width of saccus; phallus slender, medially bent, orbicular coecum, distal three-quarters slender, rod-like, distal half with strongly sclerotised ridge and a single postmedial tooth, subapical area with few small thorns, ductus ejucalatorius with contorted linear interior sclerotisation.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus trineae sp. n. is a rather uncharacteristic Megacraspedus which can be recognized by lacking black dots (apart from an indistinct one at the end of the cell) and the whitish coloured veins on the forewings. It is very similar to M. occidentellus sp. n. (p 79). The male genitalia differ from other species of the M. cuencellus species group in the characteristic postmedial tooth and the presence of a short sacculus.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ADF0469 (n = 1). The distance to the nearest neighbour Megacraspedus bidentatus sp. n. is 7.8% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Portugal and Spain.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected in early May and in the first half of July at altitudes from 1100 to ca. 1900 m.

Etymology.

The species name (a noun in the genitive case) is dedicated to Trine Karsholt, Denmark, who assisted OK when collecting the holotype and a part of the type series of this species.

Remarks.

A single male from Central Spain (Figure 47) differs in the broader phallus and sclerotised ridge (Figure 182), whereas other characters, e.g., the presence of a short sacculus, cannot be determined with certainty due to the traditional preparation technique employed. As well as the obvious differences in the genitalia morphology the considerable DNA barcode distance (BIN BOLD:ACZ8654) of 7.2% to M. trineae sp. n. indicates a, presumably, different species. However, in the absence of sufficient material we postpone a description.