Megacraspedus bidentatus, 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 : 58-59

Megacraspedus bidentatus sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "SPAIN [prov. Barcelona] Gironella 680 m N 42.03975 E 2.02987 9.5.2013 J. Tabell leg." "GU 16/1433 ♂ P. Huemer" "DNA Barcode TLMF Lep 19855" (ZMUC).

Paratype. Spain. 1 ♂, same data as holotype (ZMUC).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 44). Wingspan 13-14 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with scale brush of about length of segment 3, dark brown on outer surface, dark brown mottled with white on inner surface, white on lower and upper surface; segment 3 cream-white with brown tip. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum blackish brown. Head cream-white mottled with light brown; neck white; thorax as forewing; tegula whitish brown. Forewing greyish brown from light black- and brown- tipped scales, costal third more blackish; a narrow yellow line in fold ending in a small black dot; a small black dot at end of cell; termen with some black scales; fringes light grey. Hindwing grey with light grey fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. One of the two examined specimens has the rather denuded forewings light greyish.

Male genitalia (Figure 178). Uncus moderately small, 1.7 times longer than maximum basal width, sub-triangular, evenly tapered to rounded apex; gnathos hook strong, about length of uncus, distally curved with pointed apex; anterior margin of tegumen with deep, U-shaped emargination, pedunculi distinct, suboval; valva nearly straight, stout, extending almost to apex of uncus, basal part distinctly wider than distal part, distal part weakly curved dorsad, apically rounded; saccular area covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow medial emargination, weakly rounded lateral humps, broad vincular sclerites extending from sclerotised posterior edge of saccus to sub-basal part of valva; saccus massive, semi-oval, with pointed rod-like apex, ratio maximum width to length approaching 1, posterior margin arched, with pointed mediolateral projections, separated by shallow medial emargination, medial part with strongly sclerotised longitudinal ridge extending almost to middle of saccus, lateral sclerites short, about half length of maximum width of saccus; phallus moderately slender, medially bent, orbicular coecum, distal two-thirds slender, sclerotised medial ridge with subapical tooth, ventral edge with subapical tooth, ductus ejucalatorius with contorted linear interior sclerotisation.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus bidentatus sp. n. is characterised by its greyish brown forewings, which are darker in the costal third and have a distinct black dot at end of the fold and at the cell. It is similar to M. alfacarellus (Figs 49-50) which is sligtly larger and has more yellow in the fold and more indistinct black dots on the forewings. It is also similar M. pusillus (Figure 51), but in that species the forewings are not darker in the costal third. M. fuscus sp. n. (Figure 45) differs in being almost unicolorous blackish grey. See also M. cuencellus (p 64). The male genitalia of M. bidentatus sp. n. are almost unmistakable due to unique structures, particularly the phallus, somewhat similar to M. fuscus sp. n. (Figure 179) from which it differs in several characters such the shape of the uncus, valva and the saccus. From the similar M. cuencellus (Figure 177) it differs in the shape of the uncus and the larger thorns of the phallus having a different position.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD: ADA0203 (n = 1). The distance to the nearest neighbour M. cuencellus is 3.1% (p-dist).

Distribution.

North-eastern Spain (prov. Barcelona).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The two type specimens were collected in early May at an altitude of 680 m.

Etymology.

The species name refers to the sclerotisations of the phallus and is derived from the Latin word bidentatus (having two teeth). The name is a masculine adjective.