Megacraspedus eburnellus Huemer & Karsholt, 2001

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 : 165-167

Megacraspedus eburnellus Huemer & Karsholt, 2001

Megacraspedus eburnellus Huemer & Karsholt, 2001: 238, figs 3, 8, 10, 13-14.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "Italia [prov. Verona] Mte Baldo Noveza 1300-1600 m M.6.66. leg. Burmann" " TLMF Innsbruck 1988-12" (TLMF). Paratypes. Italy. 1 ♂, same data as holotype (SMNK); 2 ♂, 1 ♀, same data, but medio vii.1966 (SMNK, TLMF); 1 ♂, same data, but 19.vi.1993, leg. P. Huemer (TLMF); 5 ♂, same data, but Costabella, 1800 m, ultimo vi.1965, leg. K. Burmann (TLMF); 1 ♂, same data, but Bocca di Navene, 1400-1500 m, medio vi.1969, 1 ♂, same data, but medio vi.1970, 1 ♂, same data, but ultimo vi.1971, leg. K. Burmann (SMNK); 1 ♂, Monte Baldo, Naole, 1500-1600 m, 21.vii.1989, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC); 3 ♂, 1 ♀, prov. Verona, Monte Baldo, Dintorni Refugio, Novezzina , 1250 m, 24.vii.1984, leg. U. Parenti, genitalia slide GU00/891 Huemer (ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Verona, Monte Baldo, Naole, 1500-1600 m, 21.vii.1989, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC); 3 ♂, prov. Verona, Monte Baldo, 1700 m, medio vii.1959 (SMNK); 1 ♂, Garda, medio v.1970, leg. K. Burmann (SMNK); 1 ♂, prov. Brescia, Anfo, Cima Valcai S-Hang, 1200 m, 14.vi.1987, leg. P. Huemer (TLMF); 1 ♂, 3 ♀, prov. Bergamo, Alpi Orobie, Val d´Arera, 2000 m, 14-15.viii.1992, leg. P. Huemer & G. Tarmann (TLMF); 35 ♂, 1 ♀, same data, but 2100 m, 23-24.viii.1992 (TLMF); 6 ♂, same data, but Pizzo Arera, 2000 m, 2-3.viii.1999, leg. Nuss (MTD). Non-type material. Italy. 1 ♂, prov. Trento, Brentonico, Rif. Graziani, 1600 m, 22.vii.1977, leg. U. Parenti (ZMUC); 12 ♂, 2 ♀, prov. Verona, Monte Baldo, Dintorni Rifugio Novezzina , 1250-1300 m, 23-24.vii.1984, leg. U. Parenti; 1 ♂, same data, but 19.vii.1985; 2 ♂, same data, but 22.vii.1986; 1 ♂, same data, but 29.vii.1986; 2 ♂, same data, but 24.vii.1992 (all ZMUC).

Redescription.

Adult. Male (Figure 140). Wingspan 14-19 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with short scale brush, light brown on outer and lower surface, white on inner and upper surface; segment 3 of about same length as segment 2, white. Antennal scape without pecten, flagellum indistinctly ringed whitish and mid-brown. Head whitish; thorax and tegula as forewing. Forewing whitish cream, more or less mottled with light brown; basal part of costa whitish; fringes concolorous with forewing. Hindwing light grey with whitish cream fringes.

Female (Figure 141). Wingspan 9-13 mm. Same colour as male, but fore- and hindwing more lanceolate and in particular hindwings distinctly reduced in width. Otherwise similar to male.

Variation. The forewing colour varies from whitish cream to light brown. Worn specimens look whitish. The tip of segment 3 of the labial palps is sometimes black.

Male genitalia (Figure 257). Uncus moderately moderately large, slightly shorter than broad, basally constricted, sub-basally widened, distally tapered to broadly rounded apex; gnathos hook stout, approximately 1.3 times length of uncus, weakly curved, lateromedially widened, apically pointed; tegumen smooth, with weakly rounded anterior and short anteriomedial ridge, anterior margin with broad and shallow emargination; pedunculi of moderate size, with transverse ridge; valva long, extending almost to tip of uncus, broader at base, distal part slender, apically weakly curved and pointed; sacculus well developed, digitate; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow medial emargination, distinctly developed lateral humps, vincular scle rites irregularly oblong with broad base; saccus large, nearly V-shaped, with broadly rounded apex, moderately long, ratio maximum width to length about 1, posterior margin broadly arched, nearly sinusoid, with broad and shallow medial emargination, medial part smooth, with indistinct short and furcated ridge, lateral sclerites short, approximately 0.6 times length of maximum width of saccus; phallus gradually tapered, with weakly defined bulbous coecum, distal two-thirds stout, straight, with broadly sclerotised zone dorsally and slender sclerotised ventral ridge, elongated plate-like cornutus with several short teeth.

Female genitalia (Figure 301). Papilla analis very large, apically rounded, almost two times length of segment VIII; apophysis posterior rod-like, approximately 1.4 mm long, posteriorly bordered by sclerotised zone of papilla analis,; segment VIII approximately 0.5 mm long, posteriolaterally sclerotised, medially membranous with microsculpture; subgenital plate with subostial sclerotisation, sclerotised oblique rods posteriorly, broad and shallow projection anteriorly, posteriorly extended into short, pointed and flap-like sub-medial sclerites, delimiting rounded ostium bursae, anterior edge rounded; apophysis anterior rod-like, slightly longer than segment VIII; colliculum irregularly sclerotised; ductus bursae slender, approximately 3.3 mm long; corpus bursae approximately 2.2 mm long, slender, clearly delimited from ductus bursae; signum a small, suboval, strongly dentate plate.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus eburnellus differs from most other European Megacraspedus species in lacking blackish brown or black scales, dots, or streaks on the forewings. It is externally similar to M. dolosellus (Figs 29-38), differing in being slightly larger and with slightly broader forewings. M. dolosellus moreover differs in having the veins on the forewings lighter than the ground colour of the wings. The females of this species have distinctly more reduced hindwings than the female of M. eburnellus . The male genitalia are overall similar to other species in the M. pentheres species group but differ by the apically pointed valva, the large saccus, and the characteristic dentation of the phallus. The female genitalia differ from other species in the subostial sclerotisation and the suboval signum.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:AAJ3176 (n = 2). The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is low with mean and maximum divergence of 0.2%. The distance to the nearest neighbour M. skulei sp. n. is 8.5% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Italy (Orobian Alps to Monte Baldo).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. Adults have been collected during the daytime by sweeping the vegetation with a net. Males are also attracted to light. The flight period ranges from the middle of May to the middle of August, depending on altitude. The habitat is characterised by scree and rock formations with alpine grassland vegetation at altitudes of between 1200 and 2100 m. A single specimen from the lowland locality Garda ( Burmann and Huemer 1997) is probably mislabelled.