Megacraspedus teriolensis, 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 : 159-161

Megacraspedus teriolensis sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, [Italy, Provinz Bozen-Südtirol] "ITALIA sept., Südtirol Montiggl, Kl. Priol 600 m, 30.8.1995 leg. Huemer" "BC TLMF Lep 05198" "P. Huemer GEL 1191 ♂" (TLMF). Paratypes. Croatia. 1 ♂, Krk, Misučaynica, 13.viii.1977, leg. G. Baldizzone (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Zaostrog, 6.ix.2002, leg. Z. Tokár, genitalia slide 7957 Z. Tokár; 4 ♂, Gospič, 15.ix.2007, leg. Z. Tokár, genitalia slide 12182 Z. Tokár; 2 ♂, Bilišane, 13.ix.2007, leg. Z. Tokár; 1 ♂, 5 km SE Pirovac, 24.vi.2006, leg. Z. Tokár (all RCZT); 5 ♂, South Velebit, 26.viii.2011, leg. I. Richter; 1 ♂, same data, but 2.ix.2011 (NMPC, RCIR); 2 ♂, Kekezi, 1.ix.2011, leg. I. Richter (RCIR, ZMUC); 1 ♂, Pag, Novalja-Potočnia, 26-30.viii.2001, leg. J. Šumpich; 1 ♂, same data, but 2.ix.2009 (NMPC). Greece. 1 ♂, Parnassos, 1900 m, 4.viii.2005, leg. Viehmann (RCWS); 3 ♂, Epirus, Parga, 0 m, 12.viii.2005, leg. Viehmann, genitalia slide 5330 Karsholt (RCWS, ZMUC); 4 ♂, Ioánina, above Monodendri, Vicos Gorge, 1300 m, 25.vii.2008, leg. P. Skou, genitalia slide 16/1469 P. Huemer (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Peloponnesos, 15 km NW Kalavrita, 900 m, 26.ix.2005, leg. W. Schmitz, genitalia slide 5331 Karsholt (RCWS). Italy. 13 ♂, Südtirol, Vintschgau, Laas, 900 m, 18.viii.2011, leg. J. Skyva; 8 ♂, same data, but 31.viii.2008; 4 ♂, same data, but 600 m, 3.viii.2003, leg. J. Šumpich; 1 ♂, same data, but 10.viii.2004 (all NMPC); 1 ♂, Südtirol, Vintschgau, Naturns, 500 m, 23.vii.1983, leg. B. Skule & P. Skou (ZMUC); 3 ♂, same data, but 1-5.x.1983 (ZMUC); 1 ♂, same data, but 17.viii.1996, leg. P. Skou, genitalia slide 2437 Hendriksen (ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Pordenone, 7 km SSW Vivaro, Magredi S, 110 m, 11.ix.2009, leg. P. Huemer, genitalia slide GEL 1221 Huemer (TLMF) 1 ♂, prov. Verona, M. Lessini , Marano, San Rocco, 500 m, 31.viii.1974, leg. P. Triberti; 1 ♂, prov. Verona, M. Lessini , Trezzolano, 400 m, 1.ix.1978, leg. P. Triberti; 1 ♂, prov. Verona, M. Lessini , Monte, 400 m, 9.viii.1985, leg. P. Triberti; 1 ♂, prov. Verona, M. Lessini , M. Tosato, 500 m, 30.viii.1990, leg. P. Triberti (RCPT, ZMUC). Slovenia. 1 ♂, Petrinjski kras, Crnotice-Praproce, 420 m, 2.ix.2011, leg. H. Habeler; 2 ♂, Karst, Presnica, 400 m, 9.ix.2002, leg. H. Deutsch (all TLMF); 2 ♂, Nova Gorica, Sabotin, 450 m, 26.viii.2006, leg. J. Skyva; 2 ♂, Podgorje, Debeli Hrib, 24.viii.2006, leg. J. Skyva; 10 ♂, same data, but 19.viii.2007, leg. J. Skyva; 11 ♂, same data, but 22.viii.2008, leg. J. Skyva; 6 ♂, same data, but 25.viii.2011, leg. J. Skyva (all NMPC); 9 ♂, Podgorje, Crnotice, 450 m, 22.viii.2008, leg. J. Liška (NMPC).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figs 134-135). Wingspan 10-13 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with scale brush as long as segment 3, blackish brown on outer surface, white mottled with brown on inner surface, white on lower and upper surface; segment 3 white. Antennal scape with pecten of 1-2 fine hairs; flagellum light brown ringed with black. Head cream-white, thorax and tegula light yellow, the latter with brown base. Forewing light grey-brown from white light brown-tipped scales; a yellow streak in fold and some yellow along dorsum; two elongate black dots in fold and two black dots in middle of wing and at end of cell; some black scales along termen; fringes grey. Hindwing grey with concolorous fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. The forewing colour varies from yellowish (especially in the dorsal half) to light grey- brown with yellow only in the fold and along dorsum. Two examined specimens from Croatia have the forewing blackish brown with clear yellow longitudial streaks.

Male genitalia (Figs 252-253). Uncus moderately small, basally constricted, irregularly rounded, slightly shorter than broad, sub-basally widened with weak lateral bulge, distally tapered to broadly rounded apex; gnathos hook massive, stout, slightly exceeding length of uncus, weakly curved, lateromedially widened, apically pointed; tegumen smooth, with weakly developed merged ridges anteromedially, anterior margin with broad and moderately shallow emargination, additional small and shallow excavation medially; pedunculi moderately small with transverse ridge; valva long, extending slightly beyond tip of uncus, broader at base, distal part slender, apically weakly curved with rounded apex; sacculus well developed, short, slender digitate; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow medial emargination, weakly developed lateral humps, vincular sclerites irregularly oblong with broad base; saccus broad, with weakly convex outer edge, distally tapered to pointed apex, moderately short, ratio maximum width to length about 1, posterior margin broadly arched, nearly sinusoid, with broad and shallow medial emargination, medial part smooth, with indistinct short sclerotised ridge, lateral sclerites short, approximately 0.6 times length of maximum width of saccus; phallus gradually tapered, with weakly defined bulbous coecum, distal two-thirds stout, straight, with broadly sclerotised zone dorsally and slender sclerotised ventral ridge, subapically with indistinct tooth.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus teriolensis sp. n. is characterised by its light grey-brown forewings with four black dots, and a yellow streak in the fold. It is very similar to M. quadristictus (p 172). The male genitalia are very similar to several other species of the M. pentheres species group but differ in the particularly stout and well sclerotised uncus and other subtle characters. From the most similar M. quadristictus (Figs 255-256) they are separated by the more slender shape of the saccus. See also M. korabicus sp. n. (p 170).

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ABW5890 (n = 6), BOLD:ADF1918 (n = 1). Genetically variable species. The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is large and reflected by 2 BINs with 5.4% divergence, based on a single specimen from Greece compared with a larger cluster from Croatia to Italy. Within the latter cluster average divergence is considerable with mean 1.6% and maximum divergence of 2.4%. The minimum distance to the nearest neighbour M. quadristictus is 9.7% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Croatia, Greece, Italy, Slovenia.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected from early August to early September at altitudes from sea level to ca. 1300 m.

Etymology.

This species is named after the most northern place of its occurrence: present day South Tyrol (Italy). The name is an adjective.

Remarks.

The considerable barcode split in two clusters is not reflected by the morphology. In particular the length of the sacculus shows some variation, e.g., dissected specimens of both clusters have a long sacculus, whereas it is short in one specimen from Greece. The separation of M. teriolensis sp. n., M. korabicus sp. n., and M. quadristictus is almost entirely based on differences in the barcode, because morphological differences are minute.