Megacraspedus balneariellus ( Chretien , 1907)

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 : 110-112

Megacraspedus balneariellus ( Chretien, 1907)

Chilopselaphus balneariellus Chrétien, 1907: 179.

Examined material.

Croatia. 1 ♂, Konjevrate, 6.vi.2005, leg. Z. Tokár; 1 ♂, 5 km SE Pirovac, 24.vi.2006, leg. Z. Tokár (all RCZT); 3 ♂, 2 ♀, Pag, 10.vi.2015, leg. J. Junnilainen, genitalia slide GU 16/1457 Huemer (RCJJ); 1 ♂, 5 km SE Pirovac, 24.vi.2006, leg. Z. Tokár (RCZT). France. 1 ♂, Dep. Gard, Aigues-Mortes, 3.vii.1988, leg. K. Larsen (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Dep. Hérault, Séte, 4.vi.2003, leg. J. Procházka (NMPC); 10 ♂, Dep. Hérault, Marselian Plage, 13.vi.2001, leg. K. Larsen (ZMUC); 4 ♂, 2 ♀, Dep. Hérault, Frontignan, sea level, 26-29.v.2004, leg. O. Karsholt, genitalia slides 6516 Hendriksen, GU 14/1388 ♂ Huemer (ZMUC); same data, but 1 ♂, 23.vi.1999, leg. A. Cox (ZMUC); 2 ♂, same data, but 10-15.vi.2004 (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Dep. Pyrénées-Orientales, St. Cyprien, Plage, 15.vi.1992, leg. J. Nel, genitalia slide 1833 NEL (TLMF). Italy. 1 ♂, prov. Venezia, Chioggia, Bosco Nordi, 11.v.2016, leg. G. Timossi (RCGT); 3 ♀, prov. Grosseto, Marina di Albarese, Maremma, 19.vi.1981, leg. M. & E. Arenberger, genitalia slide GU 17/1476 Huemer (RCEA; ZMUC). Spain. 1 ♂, prov. Girona, Port Bou, 0-300 m, 9-24.vi.1964, leg. M. & W. Glaser (SMNK); 4 ♂, prov. Girona, Rosas, saltmarsh, 20 m, 20.vi.1964, leg. M. & W. Glaser (SMNK, ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Tarragona, Sierra de Roquerole, Coll de la Teixeta, 1000 m, 3.vi.2003, leg. J. Procházka, genitalia prep. (in glycerin) (NMPC).

Redescription.

Adult. Male (Figure 90). Wingspan 17-19 mm. Labial palpus very long, porrect, white mottled with brown on inner and outer surface, white on upper and lower surface; segment 3 reduced. Antennal scape with pecten consisting of 1-3 hairs; flagellum ringed light and black. Head, thorax and tegula light grey, the latter with white tips. Forewing yellow, veins looking greyish by being covered with white blackish brown tipped scales; fringes light grey. Hindwing whitish, grey towards costa, with white fringes.

Female (Figure 91). Wingspan 19 mm. Similar to male apart from slightly more slender and pointed wings.

Variation. The examined specimens exhibit only minor variation. One specimen has a wingspan of only 15 mm.

Male genitalia (Figs 218-219). Uncus slender, three times longer than minimum width, broadest at base, distally narrowing with outer edges almost parallel, apical edge evenly convex; gnathos hook massive, stout, slightly longer than uncus, evenly curved, distal half produced to pointed apex; anterior margin of tegumen with broad and moderately shallow excavation, medially with additional small emargination, longitudinal sclerotised ridge from anterior edge to middle of tegumen; pedunculi small, rounded, transverse sclerite; valva slender, extending slightly beyond base of uncus, basally widened, with longitudinal ridge, distal part digitate with apex slightly swollen and weakly rounded, setose; saccular area covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow medial emargination, with weakly developed lateral humps, sub-ovate vincular sclerite with strongly sclerotised sub-posterior edge; saccus almost sub-triangular, with distinctly concave outer edge, basally broad, distally strongly tapered to pointed apex, ratio maximum width to length approximately 0.7, posterior margin arched, with weakly sinusoid mediolateral projections, separated by shallow emargination, medial part smooth, without sclerotised ridge, lateral sclerites long and slender, about length of maximum width of saccus; phallus straight, with bulbous coecum, distal two-thirds slender, sclerotised dorsal and ventral zones, subapical-ridge with few small teeth, apex rounded.

Female genitalia (Figure 287). Papilla analis large, approximately 0.8 mm long, 0.5 mm broad, sub-rectangular, posteriorly slightly elongated, with weakly pointed apex; apophysis posterior rod-like, short, approximately 1.7 mm long, with distinctly widened sub-posterior sixth, posterior end curved, slender; segment VIII approximately 0.6 mm long, posterior and lateral part smoothly sclerotised; subgenital plate with band-like subostial sclerotisation, with broad and shallow projection anteriorly, posteriorly extended into moderately short, pointed sub-medial sclerites, extending to about middle of segment VIII and delimiting suboval ostium bursae, anterior margin with band-like edge connected with apophysis anterior; apophysis anterior rod-like, about length of segment VIII; colliculum small; ductus bursae gradually widening to weakly delimited corpus bursae, entire length of ductus and corpus bursae approximately 3.2 mm; signum moderately large, cleft, sub-triangular plate.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus balneariellus is characterised by its yellow forewings with greyish veins. It is similar to M. podolicus (p 119). The male genitalia are similar overall to other species of the M. fallax species group, but differ from all species particularly by the slender uncus. From the nearest species M. podolicus (Figure 220) they can furthermore be separated by the longer phallus with dentated sub-apical ridge. The female genitalia differ from other species of the M. fallax species group with known females in several characters, particularly the peculiar shape of the papilla analis and the apophysis posterior.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ADB9039 (n = 2). The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is 0%. The distance to the nearest neighbour M. podolicus is 6.3% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Croatia, France, Italy, Spain.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected from late May to late June in halophytic habitats (with a single specimen stated to have been collected at an altitude of 1000 m).

Remarks.

Chilopselaphus balneariellus was described from an unstated number of specimens from France, Languedoc ( Chrétien 1907: 179).