Megacraspedus heckfordi, 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 : 73-74

Megacraspedus heckfordi sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "ESPANA, Prov. Cantabria PN Picos de Europa Fuente De, El Cable Bergst. 4°48,53'W, 43°09,55'N 1870 m, 11.7.2012 leg. Huemer TLMF 2012-011" "BC TLMF Lep 08326" (TLMF). Paratypes. Spain. 1 ♂, same data as holotype; 7 ♂, same data, but TLMF 2013-011 (all TLMF); 30 ♂, same data, but leg. T. Mayr (RCTM); 1 ♂, Prov. Cantabria, PN Picos de Europa, above Fuente Dé, 1780 m, 9.vii.1999, leg. R. J. Heckford, genitalia slide 949 Heckford (RCRH); 21 ♂, prov. Cantabria, PN Picos de Europa, Espinama, Portillas des Poqueion, 1340 m, 11.vii.2012, leg. P. Huemer; 2 ♂, prov. Leon, Picos de Europa, Portilla de la Reina env., 1230 m, 9.vii.2012, leg. P. Huemer, genitalia slide GEL 1205 Huemer (RCTM, TLMF, ZMUC).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 57). Wingspan 12-14 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with scale brush as long as segment 3, grey-brown on outer surface, brown mot tled with white on inner surface, white on lower and upper surface; segment 3 as long as segment 2, white with black tip. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum black, indistinctly ringed with grey-brown. Head, thorax and tegula cream-white. Forewing light greyish brown from light brown dark-tipped scales; costa blackish brown at base, otherwise whitish; fringes light grey. Hindwing grey with grey fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. The examined specimens show only slight variation.

Male genitalia (Figure 193). Uncus evenly slender, digitate, about four times longer than broad, apex rounded; gnathos hook massive, with longitudinal grooves, slightly longer than uncus, basally same width, evenly tapered to pointed apex; anterior edge of tegumen with deep suboval emargination; pedunculi sub-triangular, posteriorly with sclerotised ridge; valva extending to about middle of uncus, broad, apical sixth abruptly tapered, distorted, with rounded apex; saccular area densely covered with setae, without clearly separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum medially emarginated, laterally with hump, suboval vincular sclerites with sclerotised posterior edge; saccus sub-triangular, approximately 1.5 times longer than broad, posterior edge weakly sinusoid, medial part with strongly sclerotised ridge extending from posterior edge to apex, lateral sclerites slightly shorter than maximum width of saccus; phallus with inflated coecum, about twice width and one-third length of distal part, strongly sclerotised spine of about ¾ length of coecum emerging from distodorsal part, directed towards apex of phallus in moderate curvation, distal part of phallus slightly curved, apex rounded.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus heckfordi sp. n. is characterised by its plain light greyish brown forewings without markings. It can be separated from other species without markings on the forewings by its cream-white head. The male genitalia are unmistakable within Megacraspedus and can be easily identified by the characteristic large spine of the phallus.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ACA9758 (n = 4). The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is low with mean 0.5% and maximum divergence of 0.8%. The distance to the nearest neighbour M. tenuiuncus sp. n. is 7.8% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Spain (prov. Cantabria).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected in the middle of July at altitudes from 1230 to 1870 m.

Etymology.

The species name (a noun in the genitive case) is dedicated to Robert (Bob) Heckford, U.K., who collected the first specimen and provided his valuable material available to our study.