Megacraspedus longipalpella Junnilainen, 2010

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 : 103-105

Megacraspedus longipalpella Junnilainen, 2010

Megacraspedus longipalpella Junnilainen, 2010, in Junnilainen and Nupponen 2010: 16, figs 23, 29.

Examined material.

Paratypes. Russia. 5 ♂, S Ural, Cheliabinsk district, Troizkii reserve near Berlin village, 30.vi.1997, leg. K. Nupponen & J. Junnilainen, genitalia slides no. 1/7.IV.2008 K. Nupponen, 02022402 J. Junnilainen (RCKN, ZMUC); 1 ♂, same data, but 1.vii.1997; 1 ♂, same data, but 2.vii.1997; 1 ♂, S-Ural, Orenburg oblast, 20 km S Pokrovka village, Schibendy valley, 2.vii.2003, leg. K. Nupponen (all ZMUC); 3 ♂, Orenburg oblast, near Burannoe village, 3.vii.2003, leg. K. Nupponen, genitalia slide GU 15/1398 Huemer (RCKN, ZMUC). Non-type material. Russia. 1 ♂, S-Ural, Kidriasovo env., 21.vi.2009, leg. J. Šumpich (NMPC); 10 ♂, same data, but 1.vii.2017, leg. H. Roweck & N. Savenkov (ECKU, ZMUC); 1 ♂, S Ural, Cheliabinsk distr., Ustinovo village, 25.vi.2016, leg. H. Roweck & N. Savenkov (ECKU); 20 ♂, 1 ♀, S Ural, Cheliabinsk distr., Uvelsk reg., Mihiri village, Zhemeryak river, 1-4.vii.2016, leg. H. Roweck & N. Savenkov (ECKU, ZMUC); 10 ♂, S Ural, Cheliabinsk distr., Oktyabrskoje, Selitkul reserve, 5-6.vii.2016, leg. H. Roweck & N. Savenkov (ECKU, ZMUC). Ukraine. 1 ♂, Lugansk region, Melovoi distr., Streltsovskaya steppe Nat.Res., 5.vii.2002, leg. A. Bidzilya; 1 ♂, same data, but 6.vii.2002; 1 ♀, same data, but 10.vii.2002, genitalia slide GU 17/1475 Huemer (RCAB).

Redescription.

Adult. Male (Figure 83). Wingspan 18-20 mm. Labial palpus very long, almost half length of antenna, porrect, white with medial part of inner and outer surface brown; segment 3 reduced. Antennal scape with up to 5 long hairs; flagellum light brown, indistinctly ringed with blackish brown. Head, thorax and tegula light yellowish white. Forewing light yellow mottled with brown scales especially in apical part; veins pure white; fringes light grey. Hindwing whitish grey, darker towards costa, with white fringes.

Female (Figure 84). Wingspan 19-22 mm. Similar to male.

Variation. The examined specimens show only slight variation.

Male genitalia (Figure 214). Uncus moderately slender, sub-rectangular, approximately 1.5 times longer than wide, distally evenly rounded; gnathos hook moderately slender, slightly longer than uncus, distally curved with pointed apex; anterior margin of tegumen with broad and moderately shallow excavation, medially with additional small emargination, longitudinal sclerotised ridge from anterior edge to posterior third; pedunculi large, rounded; valva moderately slender, extending to middle of uncus, apex slightly swollen, weakly rounded, setose; saccular area covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow medial emargination, without lateral humps, suboval vincular sclerite with strongly sclerotised posterior edge; saccus sub-triangular, basally broad, distally tapered to pointed apex, ratio maximum width to length approximately 0.9, posterior margin arched, without medial emargination, medial part smooth, without sclerotised ridge, lateral sclerites long and slender, slightly shorter than maximum width of saccus; phallus straight, with bulbous coecum, distal two-thirds slender, rod-like, with weakly curved lateral sclerotisation, few minute subapical thorns.

Female genitalia (Figure 284). Papilla analis strongly sclerotised, large, apically constricted, rounded; apophysis posterior slender rod-like, moderately short, approximately 2.2 mm long, basal sixth weakly curved and widened anteriad; segment VIII approximately 0.8 mm long, about same width, large sclerotised dorso- and ventrolateral zone, medially largely membranous; subgenital plate with band-like subostial sclerotisation, with small sub-triangular projection anteriorly, posteriorly extended into moderately long and basally widened, distally pointed sub-medial sclerites delimiting oblong ostium bursae, anterior margin a sclerotised edge connected with apophysis anterior; apophysis anterior moderately stout, rod-like, longer than segment VIII, approximately 1.1 mm, posteriorly becoming band-like venula of segment VIII, distinctly widening to large sclerotised zone, extending to posterior margin; colliculum moderately short, sclerotised; ductus bursae gradually widening to weakly delimited, slender corpus bursae, entire length of ductus and corpus bursae approximately 3.5 mm; signum moderately large, transverse, sub-triangular spiny plate.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus longipalpella is characterised by its light yellow, brownish dusted forewings with clear white veins. It is similar to M. albovenata (Figs 81-82), but is larger and has longer labial palps (almost half length of antennae, whereas about one-third length of antennae in M. albovenata ). See also M. ribbeella (p 103) and M. tabelli sp. n. (p 100). The male genitalia are very similar to other species of the M. fallax species group, particularly M. albovenata (Figure 213) and M. niphorrhoa (Figure 215) and differ only in subtle characters such as the slightly swollen apex of the valva, the stouter gnathos hook and the shorter and more rounded uncus. The female genitalia are very similar to M. albovenata (Figure 283) and differ only by subtle characters such as the longer apopohysis posterioris and anterioris, the small anteriomedial projection of segment VIII and the larger colliculum.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ACM1349 (n = 1). The distance to the nearest neighbour M. niphorrhoa is 4.8% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Russia (S Ural), Ukraine (Bidzilya et al. 2011: 65).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The type series were collected by artificial light from early June to early August at grassy lowland steppes ( Junnilainen and Nupponen 2010).

Remarks.

Megacraspedus longipalpella was described from numerous males collected in the southern Urals, Russia ( Junnilainen and Nupponen 2010).