Megacraspedus podolicus (Toll, 1942)

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 : 112-114

Megacraspedus podolicus (Toll, 1942)

Chilopselaphus podolicus Toll, 1942: 170, pl. 13, figs 7-8, pl. 16, fig. 26.

Examined material.

Austria. 2 ♂, Burgenland, Weiden am See S, Zitzmannsdorfer Wiesen, 24.vi.1961, leg. F. Kasy (NHMW, TLMF); 1 ♂, same data, but 23.vi.1962, genitalia slide GEL 1202 Huemer. Hungary. 1 ♂, Csákberény, Bucka-hegy, 19.vi.2004, leg. Z. Tokár (RCZT); 5 ♂, Leanufalu, 5-10.vii.1997, leg. B. S. Larsen, genitalia slide 6517 Hendriksen (ZMUC); 4 ♂, 2 km N Börgönd, 24-25.vi.1998, leg. B. S. Larsen (ZMUC). Romania. 1 ♂, Dobrogea, Grindul Chituc, Vadu, 17.vi.2012, leg. S. & Z. Kovacs, genitalia slide 5323 Karsholt (RCKO). Russia. 2 ♂, S-Ural, Orenburg oblast, 8 km E Novoiletzk, 8.vi.1998, leg. T. & K. Nupponen (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Altai Republic, Aktash village, 1400 m, 11.vii.2014, leg. J. Šumpich, genitalia slide GU 16/1459 Huemer (TLMF); 5 ♂, S Ural, Cheliabinsk distr., Oktyabrskoje Selitkul reserve, 5-6.vii.2016, leg. H. Roweck & N. Savenkov (ECKU). Ukraine. 1 ♂, Borszczów district, Ścianka Hłody, 27.vi.1938, leg. S. Toll (HNHM); 1 ♂, same data, but 29.vi.1938 (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Crimea, Karadag, 26.vi.1993, leg. A. Bidzilya (ZMUC); 3 ♂, same data, but 3-9.vi.1996, leg. Yu. Budashkin (MZH).

Redescription.

Adult. Male (Figure 92). Wingspan 15-18 mm. Labial palpus very long, porrect, brown mottled with some white on inner and outer surface, greyish white on upper and lower surface; segment 3 reduced. Antennal scape with up to 5 hairs; flagellum light brown, indistinctly darker ringed. Head, thorax and tegula light grey-brown, the latter with white tips. Forewing whitish grey, densely mottled with dark brown, especially in middle of wing; a yellow streak along dorsum, a yellow streak from base through fold to tornus, a similar streak in middle of wing from one-quarter from base toward apex and a yellow sub-costal streak to middle of wing; fringes light grey. Hindwing whitish grey, darker towards costa, with white fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. The colour of the forewings varies from lighter to darker, depending on the amount of dark brown scales. Light specimens have more yellow between the veins. Worn specimens are generally lighter than fresh specimens. The hairs on the antennal scape are easily lost.

Male genitalia (Figure 220). Uncus slender, nearly two times longer than wide, outer edges almost parallel, apical edge strongly convex; gnathos hook massive, stout, slightly longer than uncus, evenly curved, distal half projected 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 to about middle 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, without demarcated 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 0.8, posterior margin arched, with weakly sinusoid mediolateral projections, separated by shallow 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, dorsomedially with two minute teeth, elongated sclerotised zones dorsally and ventrally, apex rounded.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus podolicus is characterised by its long labial palps, slender wings and by the dark brown, longitudinal streak in the middle of the wing, which is absent in M. balneariellus (Figs 90-91). Also very similar to M. niphorrhoa (p 112) from which it is hardly separable externally. The male genitalia are similar overall to other species of the M. fallax species group, but differ from most species by the comparatively slender uncus and valva. From the nearest species M. balneariellus (Figs 218-219) they can be separated be the shape of the uncus and the stouter phallus without dentated sub-apical ridge.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ADB8683 (n = 1). The distance to the nearest neighbour M. balneariellus is 6.3% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Austria, Hungary, Romania, Russia (S Ural, Altai mts), Ukraine.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected from early June to early July at low altitudes.

Remarks.

Chilopselaphus podolicus was described from western Ukraine, Borszczow, Hlody ( Toll 1942). Kasy (1962) compared M. podolicus with M. balneariellus and figured the male genitalia, showing clear differences between these taxa, but according to the taxonomic concept at that time he concluded that the former should be regarded as a subspecies of the latter.