Megacraspedus uzunsyrtus Bidzilya & Budashkin, 2015

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 : 38-39

Megacraspedus uzunsyrtus Bidzilya & Budashkin, 2015

Megacraspedus uzunsyrtus Bidzilya & Budashkin, 2015: 222, figs 19-22.

Examined material.

Paratypes. Ukraine. 2 ♂, Crimea, Koktebel vic., SW slope of Uzun-Syrt, evening collecting, 17.v.2014, leg. Yu. Budashkin, genitalia slide GU 16/1463 Huemer (ZMKU).

Ukraine. 2 ♂, Crimea, Aj-Petri, 5-6.vii.2002, leg, Yu. Budashkin (ZMKU).

Redescription.

Adult. Male (Figure 24). Wingspan 12-14 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with moderately long scale brush, brown on outer surface, whitish brown on inner surface, otherwise white; segment 3 white, darker on lower surface and towards tip. Antennal scape with pecten of one hair; flagellum light grey-brown ringed with black. Head, thorax and tegula as forewing. Forewing light greyish brown from white brownish- and black-tipped scales, darkest towards apex; a distinct white stripe along costa; base of costa blackish; fringes light grey. Hindwing grey with light grey fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. The examined specimens show only slight variation.

Male genitalia (Figure 162). Uncus moderately slender, slightly more than twice as long as broad, parallel-sided, apical 1/3 weakly narrowed, apex rounded; gnathos hook stout, about length of uncus, bent near middle, apex curved, pointed; anterior margin of tegumen with moderately deep and broadly rounded emargination, long medial ridge from anterior edge to posterior third, anteriolateral edge with small peg-like sclerite; pedunculi distinct, suboval; valva broad, about one-third width of uncus, straight, of equal width, apex rounded, extending to middle of uncus, sub-basally with rounded hump; saccular area covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow medial emargination, lateral humps weakly developed, basally broad vincular sclerite tapered posteriorly, with broadly sclerotised posteriomedial edges; saccus nearly V-shaped, with pointed, rod-like apical third, ratio maximum width to length approximately 0.8, posterior margin weakly arched, with small medial incision, medial part with short furcated ridge from posterior edge, lateral sclerites approximately 0.8 times length of maximum width of saccus; phallus with globular coecum, distal portion weakly S-curved, few minute teeth on dorsal edge, tapered apically.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus uzunsyrtus is characterised by its light greyish brown forewings with a white costa and without further markings. It is very similar to M. monolorellus (Figure 21) which has more brownish forewings. M. similellus sp. n. (p 46). The male genitalia are particularly similar to M. similellus sp. n. (Figs 163-164) but differ by the abruptly bent gnathos hook, and the broader valva without distal constriction. From other related species they differ by several subtle characters, particularly the shape of the uncus with parallel-sided outer edges.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ACS7353 (n = 2). The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is 0%. The distance to the nearest neighbour M. similellus sp. n. is 6.4% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Ukraine (Crimea).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. Adults have been collected in the middle of May in the evening before sunset on xerothermic slopes on Jurinea stoechadifolia (M. Bieb.) DC ( Asteraceae ) which is considered to be the larval host plant ( Bidzilya and Budashkin 2015). Additional specimens were found in early July.

Remarks.

M. uzunsyrtus was described from four males collected in Crimea on 17.v.2014 ( Bidzilya and Budashkin 2015: 222). Although these authors state that "Jurinea stoechadifolia … is undoubtedly the larval host plant" this needs to be confirmed by breeding as other host plant records of Megacraspedus species are from Poaceae . Bidzilya and Budashkin (op. cit.) stated that M. uzunsyrtus can be separated from M. monolorellus by having an antennal pecten of one hair, which should not be present in the latter species. However, examination of the lectotype of M. monolorellus shows that a pecten is present at the base of the left antenna.