Megacraspedus pacificus, 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 : 178-179

Megacraspedus pacificus sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "29.VII.1963 Afghan.[istan] centr., O v [East of] Band-i-Amir, 3600 m Kasy & Vartian leg." "Gen. Präp. Mus. Vind. 16.661 ♂" (NHMW). Paratype. Afghanistan. 1 ♀, prov. Bamyan, Band-i-Amir, 3000 m, 30.vii.1963, leg. Kasy & Vartian, genitalia slide Mus. Vind. 16.662 (NHMW).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 149). Wingspan 15 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with long scale brush, blackish 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 a single pecten; flagellum indistinctly ringed black and grey. Head, thorax and tegula light grey-brown. Forewing bone white mottled with grey and brown, especially at base and along veins and wing margins; margin of costa white; black dots in fold at 2/5, and at 3/5 in middle of wing and at end of cell; scattered black scales forming an interrupted line along termen; fringes light grey. Hindwing grey with light grey fringes.

Female (Figure 150). Wingspan 12 mm. Antenna ringed black and white. Head, thorax and tegula white. Forewing slightly ellipsoid, white, slightly mottled with brownish and black scales, especially along veins; a black subcostal spot at one-quarter. Hindwing reduced in width and with extended apex. Otherwise similar to male.

Variation. None from the few examined specimens.

Male genitalia (Figure 265). Uncus sub-rectangular, slightly longer than broad, distally weakly produced with evenly rounded apex; gnathos hook moderately slender, apically pointed, approximately 1.5 times length of uncus, bent at right angles at about one-third; tegumen with broad and shallow anterior emargination, anteriolaterally with short sclerotised ridges merged near middle of tegumen; pedunculi small, suboval; valva stout, extending slightly beyond base of uncus, basally broad, distal part with sclerotised setose ridge, apex shovel-shaped, distorted; saccular area densely covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum shallow, with curved lateral hump; saccus stout, V-shaped, about length of valva, posterior margin hardly emarginated, with indistinctly sinusoid mediolateral humps, medial part with sclerotised ridge from posterior margin to middle of saccus, lateral sclerites slightly exceeding maximum width of saccus; phallus with weakly inflated coecum, distal three quarters slender, sub-basally with a prominent, weakly dentated thorn, medially covered with about a dozen short spinules.

Female genitalia (Figure 304). Papilla analis small, apically rounded, largely membranous; apophysis posterior slender rod-like, about 3 mm long, posterior end bordered by small sclerotised field; segment VIII approximately 0.7 mm long, weakly sclerotised to membranous; subgenital plate with large subostial sclerotisation delimiting ostium bursae, sub-triangular process from base of apophysis anterior pointed anteromedially and delimiting anterior margin of segment VIII, and posteromedially pointed process, demarcating lateral part of ostium bursae by deeply sclerotised wall; apophysis anterior rod-like, anterior part of 1 mm length, venula a longitudinal sclerotised zone along entire segment VIII; colliculum short, weakly sclerotised; ductus bursae slender, widened to weakly delimited corpus bursae; entire length of ductus and corpus bursae approximately 2.6 mm; signum a small, transverse, spiny plate.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus pacificus sp. n. is characterised by its light greyish brown forewings with three weak black dots and an interrupted black line along the termen. It is similar to M. imparellus (Figs 100-102) which has slightly broader and lighter forewings with more distinct black dots. This species and M. pacificus sp. n. have a single pecten on the antennal scape, whereas the somewhat similar M. leuca (Figs 111-112) has several hairs on the antennal scape. See also M. armatophallus sp. n. (see below) and M. majorella (p 124). The shape of the valva and the characteristic thorn of the phallus are unmistakable diagnostic characters in the male genitalia. The female genitalia are similar to M. armatophallus sp. n. but differ in particular in the much smaller and weakly sclerotised colliculum.

Molecular data.

Not available, available specimens too old.

Distribution.

Central Afghanistan (prov. Bamyan).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected at the end of July at high altitudes from 3000 to 3600 m.

Etymology.

The species name is derived from the Latin word pacificus , in the sense of bringing peace to the type locality of Afghanistan.