Megacraspedus coleophorodes (Li & Zheng, 1995)

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 : 140-141

Megacraspedus coleophorodes (Li & Zheng, 1995)

Chilopselaphus coleophorodes Li & Zheng, 1995: 1, 10, figs 1-4.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, China, Liancheng, Yongdeng County, Gansu Province, 6-July-1985, Coll. Houhun Li, genitalia slide no L94136 (NKU) [labels translated from Chinese, photographs examined]. Paratype. 1 ♀, Yanchi County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June-1986, Coll. Ren, genitalia slide no L92040 [labels translated from Chinese, photographs examined].

Redescription.

Adult. Male (Figure 116). Wingspan 21 mm. Segment 2 of labial palp with long scale brush, brown on upper and outer surface, whitish on lower and inner surface; segment 3 short. Antenna brown, indistinctly ringed with white. Head, thorax and tegula yellowish. Forewing yellowish, darker in costal part, lighter towards dorsum; veins white; fringe grey. Hindwing greyish.

Female (Figure 117). Wingspan 21-22 mm. Otherwise similar to male.

Variation. According to the original description the colour of the forewings varies from grey-brown to grey-white.

Male genitalia (Figure 240). Uncus sub-triangular, moderately small, apex pointed; gnathos hook about length of uncus, nearly straight with pointed apex; tegumen with medially converging sclerotised anterior ridges, anterior margin of tegumen with moderately shallow emargination, medially additional U-shaped excavation; pedunculi large, weakly demarcated, suboval; valva straight, broad, extending to about apex of uncus, apically rounded, with small spine, distal area covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with weakly developed oblique lateral humps, vincular sclerites elongated, sub-triangular; saccus sub-triangular, evenly tapered, medially weakly convex, rounded apex, ratio maximum width to length approximately 0.8, posterior margin arched, without medial emargination, medial part without sclerotised ridge, lateral sclerites shorter than maximum width of saccus; phallus straight, with weakly bulbous coecum, distal three-quarters slender, rod-like, with group of small spines dorsomedially and with distinct dorsoapical tooth.

Female genitalia (Figure 294). Papilla analis laterally compressed, extruding from tip of abdomen, strongly sclerotised, large, approximately 1.5 mm long, posteriorly narrowing abruptly, ventral edge weakly angled, dorsal edge predominantly straight, concave towards distinctly pointed, weakly curved apex; apophysis posterior rod-like, approximately 2.5 mm long, posterior end pointed, anterior end rounded; segment VIII about 1 mm long, strongly sclerotised except for less sclerotised ventromedial zone; subgenital plate almost without modified sclerotisations, anterior edge of segment straight, small elongated ostium bursae delimited by sclerotised lateral ridge; apophysis anterior rod-like, about length of segment VIII; colliculum short, sclerotised; ductus bursae widening to weakly delimited corpus bursae, corpus bursae suboval, entire length of ductus and corpus bursae 2.8 mm; signum small, rounded, spiny plate.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus coleophorodes is characterised by its rather large size, the long scale brush on segment 2 of the labial palps, and by its yellowish forewings with white on the veins, but not on the costa. It resembles M. argyroneurellus (Figs 121-124) and M. lagopellus (Figs 114-115), but these species are white along the costa. It is furthermore similar to M. feminensis sp. n. (see below). The male genitalia are similar to M. lagopellus (Figure 239) but differ in the shape of the uncus, the more slender valva and the phallus. The female genitalia are similar to M. lagopellus (Figure 293) and M. feminensis sp. n. (Figure 295) but differ in the different shape of the papilla analis with a strongly pointed apex.

Molecular data.

Not available, no specimen was available for barcoding.

Distribution.

Northern China. Recently recorded from Korea ( Koo et al. 2018).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected from May to August at unreported elevation.

Remarks.

Chilopselaphus coleophorodes was described from one male (holotype) from the Gansu province and 11 females from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China ( Li and Zheng 1995). The above descriptions are based on photographs of the holotype and a paratype, as well as the original description.