Megacraspedus quadristictus Lhomme, 1946

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 : 163-165

Megacraspedus quadristictus Lhomme, 1946

Megacraspedus quadristictus Lhomme, 1946: 537.

Examined material.

Lectotype ♂, here designated, “quadristictus” "Cousson 11.8.03" genitalia slide PGCG 8018 (MNHN) [photographs examined]. Paralectotype ♂, on polyporus with lectotype, same data, but without genitalia slide (MNHN) [photographs examined]. Non-type material. France. 1 ♂, Dep. Alpes-Maritimes, Cipières, 9.viii.1995, genitalia slide 5630 Nel (TLMF); 2 ♂, Dep. Drôme, St. Paul, St. Restitut, Trois Chateaux, 250 m, viii.1984, leg. M. Fibiger & A. Moberg (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Dep. Drôme, La Penne-sur-l’Ouvèze, 1-7.viii.1986, leg, H. van der Wolf (RCHW); 1 ♂, Dep. Var, Callas, 5.ix.1997, leg. H. Queis (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Dep. Var, Tourves, grand Tour rout, 30.viii.2002, genitalia slide GEL 1254 Huemer; 1 ♂, Dep. Vaucluse, Méthamis, 2.viii.1995, leg. G. Brusseaux, genitalia slide 4163 Nel; 1 ♀, Dep. Vaucluse, Méthamis, le Plafournier, leg. G. Brusseaux, 27.viii.2000, genitalia slide GEL 1265 Huemer; 1 ♀, same data, but 21.viii.2001, leg. G. Brusseaux, genitalia slide 13982 Nel; 1 ♂, same data, but 24.viii.2001, leg. G. Brusseaux; 1 ♂, same data, but 13.viii.2001, leg. G. Brusseaux, genitalia slide GEL 1207 Huemer; 1 ♀, same data, but 2.viii.1995, [second label (!)]: Dep. Vaucluse, Caseneuove, D 35, 380 m, 30.viii.1993, leg. J. Nel [abdomen missing] (all TLMF); 1 ♂, Dep. Vaucluse, Fouix, St. Martin Castillon, 23.viii.1994, leg. J. Nel; 1 ♂, Dep. Vaucluse, Viens, le Calavon, 16.viii.1993, leg. J. Nel, genitalia slide 1156 Nel; 1 ♂, Dep. Vaucluse, Fontaine de Vaucluse, 4-14.viii.1961, leg. H. Malicky, genitalia slide GEL 1204 Huemer; 1 ♂, Dep. Pyrénées-Orientales, Alenya, étang de Canet 4.ix.1994, leg. R. Mazel (all TLMF). Portugal. 3 ♂, Algarve, Bensafrim, Colinas Verdes, 26.ix.1995, leg. M. F. V. Corley, genitalia slide Corley 773 (RCMC); 1 ♂, Algarve, Estremadura, Sesimbra, 1.ix.2002, leg. M. F. V. Corley, genitalia slide Corley 1879 (RCMC). Spain. 1 ♂, prov. Barcelona, Avinyonet, 27.ix.1973, leg. P. L. Holst (ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Barcelona, Anoia, Òdena, salze 13.viii.2004, leg. E. Requena; 1 ♂, prov. Barcelona, Anoia, Mirales , 11.viii.2004, leg. E. Requena; 1 ♂, prov. Barcelona, Bages, Castellfullit del Boix bassa 2.viii.2003, leg. E. Requena (all RCER); 2 ♂, prov. Barcelona, 2 km W Gurb, Vic, 550 m, 15.viii.2001, leg. P. Skou; 1 ♂, prov. Castellon, 5 km E Cuevas de Vinroma, 200 m, 13.vii.1992, leg. M. Fibiger (all ZMUC); 2 ♂, prov. Cuenca, Valdemeca, 31.viii.2002, leg. H. van der Wolf (RCHW); 1 ♀, prov. Cuenca, Paracuellos, 22.ix.1983, leg. C. Gielis; 1 ♂, prov. Cuenca, 6 km S Salvacañete, 22.ix.2001, leg. C. Gielis (all RMNH); 1 ♂, prov. Cuenca, Uña, 1150 m, 28.viii.2001, leg. B. Skule; 1 ♂, prov. Cuenca, Valdecabras, 23-30.ix.1995, leg. J. Wolschrijn (all ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Cuenca, Uña, Castilla la Mancha, 1300 m, 12.ix.2007, leg. J. Viehmann (RCWS); 10 ♂, prov. Girona, near Sargas at B 432, 650 m, 13.viii.2001, leg. P. Skou (ZMUC); 2 ♂, Granada, 10 km NE Baza, 800 m, 27.ix.1994, leg. H. van der Wolf (RCHW); 1 ♂, prov. Huesca, Biescas, 1.viii,1989, leg. C. Gielis (RMNH); 2 ♂, prov. Huesca, 10 km S Benabarre, Esteña, 700 m, 18-19.viii.2001, leg. B. Skule & P. Skou; 2 ♂, same data, but 8.ix.2001, leg. B. Skule & C. Hviid; 3 ♂, same data, but 2.viii.2007, leg. B. Skule & P. Skou, genitalia slide GU 14/1380 Huemer; 3 ♂, prov. Huesca, 10 km sw Bielsa, Revilla, 1150 m, leg. B. Skule; 1 ♂, prov. Lleida, 30 km NW Fraga, Ontinema, 250 m, 11.vii.1992, leg. M. Fibiger; 1 ♂, prov. Teruel, Cosa, 2-13.viii.1989, leg. C. Gielis (all ZMUC); 2 ♂, prov. Teruel, 4 km E Cosa, 28.viii. 2000, leg. H. van der Wolf (RCHW); 1 ♂, prov. Teruel, Albarracin, Valdevecar, 1200 m, 21.viii.2001, leg. B. Skule & P. Skou; 3 ♂, 2 ♀, same data, but 1150 m, 1.viii.2003, leg. P. Skou; 5 ♂, same data, but 4.viii.2007, leg. B. Skule & P. Skou; 3 ♂, 5 km NW Montalban, 950 m, 17.vii.2003, leg. B. Skule; 2 ♂, same data, but 5.viii.2007, leg. B. Skule, genitalia slide 6492 Hendriksen; 1 ♂, same data, but 3 km WSW Montalban, 1450 m, 6.viii.2007, leg. B. Skule & P. Skou; 1 ♂, prov. Zaragoza, Rio Huerva, Tosos, 550 m, 20.viii.2001, leg. B. Skule & P. Skou (all ZMUC); 3 ♂, prov. Castellon, Penyagolosa E slope, 1450 m, 1.ix.2005, leg. P. Huemer, genitalia slide GEL 1223 Huemer (TLMF); 1 ♂, prov. Valencia, El Saler, Albufera, 5 m, 8.ix.2005, leg. P. Huemer (TLMF).

Redescription.

Adult. Male (Figure 138). Wingspan 12-17 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with scale brush longer than segment 3, dark brown on outer surface, white mottled with brown on inner surface, white on lower and upper surface; segment 3 white with black tip. Antennal scape with pecten of fine hairs; flagellum light brown ringed with dark grey. Head cream-white; thorax and tegulae as forewing. Forewing light yellow mottled with brown- and black-tipped scales, especially along veins, at base, along costa and near apex; costa blackish near base; fold and sub-costal stripe yellow, area between them greyish; two black dots in fold and two in middle of wing and at end of cell; some black scales along termen; fringes greyish. Hindwing grey with light grey fringes.

Female (Figure 139). Wingspan 13-16 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with white inner surface. Antenna ringed black and cream-white. Forewing with apical half lanceolate, white mottled with light yellow, especially along veins; only a few black-tipped scales, especially as an indistinct sub-costal patch near base, and along termen; the four black dots distinct; fringes whitish grey. Hindwing more slender than in males, white with whitish grey fringes.

Variation. The forewing colour varies from yellowish to greyish. A few specimens have an indistinct, dark, sub-costal patch near base. Worn specimens become lighter, and the black dots can become obsolete, and in such specimens the antennal pecten is often lost.

Male genitalia (Figs 255-256). 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 stout, nearly 1.5 times length of uncus, weakly curved, lateromedially widened, apically pointed; tegumen smooth, with weakly developed ridge 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 broadly rounded apex; sacculus well developed, short, slender digitate; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow medial emargination, distinctly developed lateral humps, vincular sclerites irregularly oblong with broad base; saccus variable, broad, nearly U-shaped to broadly V-shaped, distal third curved to rounded apex or with weakly pointed apex, moderately short, ratio maximum width to length approximately 1.2, 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 (Figure 300). Papilla analis large, apically rounded, slightly longer than segment VIII; apophysis posterior rod-like, approximately 1.2 mm long, posteriorly bordered by large, longitudinal sclerotised field, posteriorly weakly widened and bent at about one-fifth, apex widened and rounded; segment VIII approximately 0.5 mm long, posteriolaterally sclerotised, medially membranous with microsculpture; subgenital plate with sub-triangular, anteriorly pointed subostial sclerotisation with sclerotised oblique rods posteriorly, broad and shallow projection anteriorly, posteriorly extended into short, pointed and flap-like sub-medial sclerites, delimiting rounded ostium bursae; apophysis anterior rod-like, about length of segment VIII; colliculum short and weakly sclerotised; ductus bursae slender, about 2 mm long; corpus bursae approximately 1.3 mm long, slender, weakly delimited from ductus bursae; signum small, laterally oblong spiny plate, with particularly strong lateral spines.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus quadristictus is characterised by its light grey-brown forewings with yellow veins and dorsum and four black dots, and the antennal scape with a pecten of fine hairs. It is very similar to M. teriolensis sp. n., but is on average larger and has more yellow on the forewing, especially along the veins. See also M. korabicus sp. n. (p 170). The male genitalia are very similar to several other species in the M. pentheres species group but differ by the particularly stout and well sclerotised uncus and other more subtle characters. From the most similar M. teriolensis sp. n. (Figs 252-253) they are separable by the broader saccus. The female genitalia are most similar to M. korabicus sp. n. (Figure 299) but differ in the subostial sclerotisation and the larger signum with strong spines.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:AAU1830 (n = 5). The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is moderate with mean 1% and maximum divergence of 1.6% (n = 5). The distance to the nearest neighbour M. teriolensis sp. n. is 9.7% (p-dist).

Distribution.

France, Spain.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected from early August (rarely from the middle of July) to the end of September from the coast to altitudes of ca. 1450 m.

Remarks.

Megacraspedus quadristrictus was described from an unstated number of specimens ("quelques exemplars") from France, Digne-Le Cousson, in the collection of P. Chrétien (Lhomme 1946: 537). We have been able to examine photographs of syntypes from MNHN. A male specimen is here designated as the lectotype in order to fix the identity of the species and conserve stability of nomenclature.