Megacraspedus barcodiellus, Huemer, Peter & Karsholt, Ole, 2018

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 : 86-87

Megacraspedus barcodiellus sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "Macedonia NP [National Park] Mavrovo Korab [mountain], Korabska jezero, Kobilino pole, 2080-2180 m 20°34'55"E, 41°46'42"N 28.7.-1.8.2011 leg. Huemer & Tarmann" "BC TLMF Lep 05178" "P. Huemer GEL 1184 ♂" (TLMF). Paratypes. Macedonia. 7 ♂, NP Mavrovo Korab, eastern ridge, 2325-2400 m, 28.vii.-1.viii.2011, leg. P. Huemer & G. Tarmann; 1 ♂ Sar Planina, Titov Vrv SE, 2680-2748 m, 2.viii.2014, leg. G. Tarmann (TLMF, ZMUC).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 67). Wingspan 14-15 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with long scale brush, white, slightly mottled with blackish brown, especially on outer surface; segment 3 white. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum distinctly ringed black and white. Head white; thorax and tegula as forewing. Forewing cream-white, slightly darker towards apex; a distinct black spot in fold and one at end of cell; fringes whitish grey. Hindwing whitish grey with concolorous fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. The spots of the forewing are sometimes reduced, but this may be due to worn specimens which furthermore become lighter and almost whitish.

Male genitalia (Figure 201). Uncus large, sub-ovate, apex strongly constricted; gnathos hook moderately slender, apically pointed, slightly longer than uncus, weakly curved; anterior margin of tegumen with broad and shallow U-shaped emargination, teguminal wall with short longitudinal ridge anteriorly; pedunculi broadly suboval; valva stout, basally with small lateral hump, distal part broadly digitate, slightly narrower than uncus, extending slightly beyond base of uncus, sub-apically a tiny tooth-like sclerite, apex weakly contorted, rounded; saccular area densely covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with distinct medial emargination, weakly developed lateral humps, vincular sclerite elongated, suboval, with sclerotised posterior edge; saccus moderately large, broadly V-shaped, short, ratio maximum width to length about 1, posterior margin with broadly rounded, shallow projections, weakly separated by small incision, medial part smooth, lateral sclerites approximately 0.8 times length of maximum width of saccus; phallus with strongly inflated globular coecum, approximately 2.5 times wider than distal part, with transverse sclerotised band, distal part moderately slender, nearly 3 times length of coecum, sclerotised dorsal and ventral ridge distinctly S-curved, apex pointed ventrad, ductus ejaculatorius with slender interior sclerotisation.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus barcodiellus sp. n. is characterised by its plain cream-white forewings with two distinct black spots. It is very similar to M. andreneli (p 93). The male genitalia are similar to those of other species of the M. binotella species group but differ in particular in the strongly curved distal part of the phallus and the broad valva. These characters are similar to M. brachypteris sp. n. (Figs 199-200) but the sub-basal part of the valva is not bulging and the saccus wall is smooth.

Molecular data

. BIN BOLD:ABA2916 (n = 3). The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is 0%. The distance to the nearest neighbour M. binotella is 10.7% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Macedonia (Korab, Sar Planina).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The few adults known to date have been collected in late July and early August at altitudes between 2400 and ca. 2700 m.

Etymology.

The name refers to the valuable method of DNA barcoding in identification of this and several other species of Megacraspedus . It is derived from the latinized vernacular barcode, and the diminutive suffix -ellus. The name is a compound noun in apposition.