Megacraspedus spinophallus, 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 : 68-71

Megacraspedus spinophallus sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "Spanien, [prov.] Alicante Sierra de Crevillente 5 km NE Albatera, 450 m, 38°15,22'N, 00°54,86'W 26.5.2004 leg. Huemer TLMF 2005-04" "BC TLMF Lep 03227" "P. Huemer GEL 1208 ♂" (TLMF). Paratypes. Spain. 8 ♂, same data as holotype (TLMF); 2 ♂, prov. Alicante, Rebate, 26.vi.1989, leg. B. Å Bengtsson, genitalia slide Bengtsson 3268 (RCBB, ZMUC); 2 ♂, prov. Ali cante, 4 km E Aspe, Rio Vialopo, 300 m, 24.v.1998, leg. P. Skou (ZMUC); 2 ♂, prov. Alicante, 8 km N Albatera, 300 m, leg. J. Šumpich (NMPC); 1 ♂, prov. Alicante, Sierra Alta, Aitana, 1200 m, 18.vi.2011, leg. H. Rietz; 1 ♂, prov. Alicante, Parcent, 8.vi.2014, leg. H. Rietz; 1 ♂, prov. Alicante, Beniarbeig, 16.vi.2015, leg. H. Rietz; 1 ♂, prov. Alicante, Pto de la Carresqueta, 1050 m, 24.vi.2015, leg. H. Rietz (all ECKU); 1 ♂, prov. Alicante, Alcoj, Font Roja, 27.vi.2010, leg. A. Stübner (TLMF); 1 ♂, prov. Almería, 5 km SW Tabernas, Rambla de Tabernas, 200 m, 28.v.1998, leg. P. Skou; 1 ♂, prov. Almería, 10 km E Bedar, El Pinar, 325 m, 19-27.iv.2001, leg. P. Skou & B. Skule; 3 ♂, prov. Almería, El Pozo del Esparto, 20 m, 22-26.iv.2001, leg. C. Hviid, P. Skou & B. Skule (all ZMUC); 2 ♂, 3 km SW Pulpi, 200 m, 2.vi.2002, leg. W. Schmitz (RCWS); 1 ♂, prov. Almería, Tabernas, 380 m, 6-8.vii.2007, leg. G. Jeppesen, genitalia slide 6490 Hendriksen) (ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Almería, Tabernas env., Aghuilla Salada, 550 m, 7.vii.2010, leg. Z. Tokár; 1 ♂, prov. Almería, Sierra de Alhamilla, Huebro, 700-800 m, 29.iv.2008, leg. Z. Tokár (all RCZT); 6 ♂, same data, but leg. J. Šumpich; Sierra de Alhamilla, vicinity of Huebro, 700-800 m, 29.iv.2008, leg. J. Šumpich; 1 ♂, prov. Almería, Sierra Cabrera, Mojácar, 50 m, 4.v.2008, leg. J. Sumpich; 25 ♂, prov. Almería, Sierra de Alhamilla, Turrillas env., route Colativi, 1000 m, 15-19.vi.2007, leg. J. Šumpich; 8 ♂, Sierra de Alhamilla, vicinity of Níjar, 560 m, 29.iv.2008, leg. J. Šumpich (all NMPC); 1 ♂, prov. Almeria, Nijar, Huebro, 10.v.2014, leg. A. Stübner (ZSM); 1 ♂, prov. Castellon, 5 km E Cuevas de Vinroma, 200 m, 13.vii.1992, leg. M. Fibiger; 16 ♂, prov. Castellon, 25 km NW Castellon, La Banderetta pass, 800 m, 17.vii.1992, leg. M. Fibiger, genitalia slide 6521 Hendriksen, 15/1403 Huemer (ZMUC); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, prov. Granada, valley of Rio Guadelfo, South side, E of Orgiva, 1000 m, 5.vii.1969, leg. K. Sattler & D.J. Carter, gen. slides 33659 ♂, 33660 ♀ (BMNH); 1 ♂, prov. Huesca, 6 km SW Candasnos, Barranco de Valcuerna, 300 m, 15.vi.1999, leg. P. Skou; 1 ♂, same data, but 8 km S Candasnos, 175 m, 5.vi.2002, leg. B. Skule (all ZMUC); 2 ♂, prov. Huesca, 6 km W Ontiñena, 7.vi.2002, leg. W. Schmitz; 1 ♂, prov. Huesca, 10 km S Candasnos, 300 m, 13.vi.2004, leg. W. Schmitz; 4 ♂, prov. Huesca, Ontiñena, 300 m, 28.v.2015, leg. J. Viehmann (all RCWS); 1 ♂, prov. Huesca, 10 km SW Candasnos, 30.v.2015, leg. J. Viehmann (ZMUC); 5 ♂, prov. Huesca, Los Monegros, La Zaida, 19.v.2004, leg. J. Junnilainen; 2 ♂, same data, but 10 km NW Gelsa, 21.v.2004, leg. J. Junnilainen (all RCJJ); 2 ♂, prov. Lleida, 30 km NW Fraga, Ontinema, 250 m, 11.vii.1992, leg. M. Fibiger; 1 ♂, prov. Málaga, Camino de Ojen, 150 m, 21.vi.1980, leg. E. Traugott-Olsen; 1 ♂, same data, but 8.vi.1986; 1 ♂, prov. Málaga, Sierra de Marbella, 14.vii.1980, leg. E. Traugott-Olsen; 1 ♂, prov. Valencia, Porta Coeli, 13.vii.1988, leg. J. Baixeras & M. Domingues (all ZMUC); 2 ♂, prov. Valencia, Villargordo del Cabriel, 20.vi.2010, leg. A. Stübner; 3 ♂, same data, but 19.vi.2010; 1 ♂, same data, but 21.vi.2010 (all ZSM); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, prov. Zaragoza, Belchite, 350 m, 3.vii.2004, leg. J. Procházka (NMPC).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 53). Wingspan 11-20 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with long scale brush, dark brown on outer surface, white mottled with brown on inner surface, white on lower and upper surface; segment 3 white with some black towards tip. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum black. Head whitish brown with white neck; thorax and tegula as forewing. Costal half and apical part of forewing dark brown; dorsal part light brown, darker towards dorsum; elongate black dots in fold at 1/3 and at end of cell; a few black scales at tornus; fringes light brownish grey. Hindwing grey with light grey fringes.

Female (Figure 54). Wingspan 19 mm. Forewing light yellow-brown, darker towards costa and especially at base of costa. An indistinct black dot at end of cell. Hindwing more slender than in male. Otherwise similar to male.

Variation. Highly variable in size, with specimens from southern Spain being generally larger. The colour of the head varies from almost cream coloured to grey-brown, and thorax and tegula vary accordingly. In some specimens the forewing (apart from the fold) is almost plain brown. One specimen has an indistinct black streak in the middle of the forewing. One of the two female specimens has no black dot in the fold.

Male genitalia (Figs 189-190). Uncus slender, about two times longer than maximum basal width, evenly tapered towards rounded apex; gnathos hook bulky, with longitudinal grooves, straight, slightly longer than uncus, apically strongly sclerotised, pointed; anterior margin of tegumen with deep V-shaped emargination, suboval pedunculi distinct; valva straight, stout, extending to about middle of uncus, distorted apical part rounded; saccular area densely covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with deep U-shaped medial emargination, broadly rounded lateral humps, suboval vincular sclerites with sclerotised posterior edge; saccus sub-triangular, apically abruptly tapered, rod-like, ratio maximum width to length 0.6, posterior margin with pointed mediolateral projections, separated by moderately deep incision, medial part with strongly sclerotised longitudinal ridge extending to anterior part of saccus, with distinctly forked anterior end, lateral sclerites about length of maximum width of saccus; phallus slightly shorter than tegumen, almost straight, with moderately inflated coecum, distal two-thirds gradually tapered, ventral margin with sclerotised ridge, dorsomedial area with large group of spines, ductus ejucalatorius twirled, with contorted linear interior sclerotisation.

Female genitalia (Figure 276). Papilla analis small, apically rounded; apophysis posterior slender rod-like, long, with short, bifurcate posterior end, bordered by sclerotised field; segment VIII approximately 1.5 mm long, membranous; subgenital plate with sub-triangular subostial sclerotisation, without pointed sclerites posteriorly, posteromedially broadly merged with medial flaps delimiting rounded ostium bursae, anterior margin with rod-like edge connected with apophysis anterior, medially with rounded projection; apophysis anterior slender, rod-like, about length of segment VIII, posteriorly becoming rod-like venula of segment VIII, extending to posterior margin; colliculum short, strongly sclerotised; ductus bursae short, broad; corpus bursae moderately short and broad, weakly delimited from ductus bursae; signum small, rounded spiny plate.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus spinophallus sp. n. is characterised by its black antennae, and by the dark brown forewings having two elongate black dots and being yellowish in dorsal half. It is very similar to M. alfacarellus (Figs 49-50), but that species has more plain dark brown forewings (apart from the yellow fold) with two small black dots. The male genitalia are very similar to other species of the M. pusillus species group but differ in the characteristic long and furcated medial ridge of the saccus and particularly the large field of spines of the phallus. The female genitalia are similar overall to several taxa in other species groups but differ in the subgenital plate without pointed sclerites. However, it remains unknown if this character is shared with other species in the M. pusillus species group.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:AAU1828 (n = 7), BIN BOLD:ACT2894 (n = 1). Genetically variable species. The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is large and reflected by 2 BINs with 2.8% maximum divergence, based on a single specimen compared with a larger cluster. Within the latter average divergence is only 0.2% and maximum divergence is 0.6% (n = 2). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbour M. skoui sp. n. is 8% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Spain.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected from late April to the middle of July at altitudes from sea level to 1200 m.

Etymology.

The species name is a compound word derived from the Latin adjective spinosus (meaning spiny) and noun phallus, referring to the spiny phallus. The name is a noun in apposition.