Megacraspedus niphorrhoa (Meyrick, 1926)

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 : 105-107

Megacraspedus niphorrhoa (Meyrick, 1926)

Trichembola niphorrhoa Meyrick, 1926: 272.

Examined material.

Kazakhstan. 2 ♂, 20 km E Chelkar settl., Bolshoe Barsuk sands, 185 m, 16.v.2012, leg. K. Nupponen; 1 ♂, near Zhababulak vill., Kumzhargan sands by Emba river, 17.v.2012, leg. K. Nupponen, genitalia slide 17/1490 ♂ Huemer; 8 ♂, 17 km NE Emba vill., 300 m, 18.v.2012, leg. K. Nupponen; 1 ♂, same data, but 20.v.2012; 4 ♂, 45 km NE Zhana-Uzen town, Bostankum sands, 160 m, 26.v.2011, leg. K. Nupponen; 1 ♂, Sengirkum sands, Terekurpa well, 70 m, 27.v.2011, leg. K. Nupponen (RCKN, TLMF); 1 ♂, Ryn-Kum sandy steppe, 15 km E Bisen village, 28.v.2000, leg. V. Karalius & J. Miatleuski (RCHW). Russia. 7 ♂, 1 ♀, S-Ural, Bashkiria, Sakmara River, Jantyshevo village, 20.vi.1996, leg. K. Nupponen, J.-P. Kaitila, J. Junnilainen & M. Ahola, genitalia slides 15/1399 ♂ Huemer, 17/1493 ♀ Huemer, no. 2/21X.2008 K. Nupponen, 02022602 J. Junnilainen (MZH, RCKN, ZMUC); 1 ♂ (paratype M. litovalvellus ), Orenburg oblast, 20 km S Pokrovka village, Schibendy valley, 6.vi.1998, leg. T. & K. Nupponen; 1 ♂, same data, but 11.vi.2001, leg. K. Nupponen (all RCKN); 1 ♂, S Ural, Cheliabinsk distr., Kizilskoye village, 24.vi.2017, leg. H. Roweck & N. Savenkov; 4 ♂, same data, but 1.vii.2017 (all ECKU).

Redescription.

Adult. Male (Figure 85). Wingspan 15-19 mm. Labial palpus very long, porrect, light greyish white with medial part of outer surface dark brown, inner surface greyish brown; segment 3 reduced. Antennal scape with pecten consisting of a few hairs; flagellum light greyish brown, indistinctly ringed with black. Head, thorax and tegula as forewing. Forewing whitish grey, densely mottled with dark brown, mostly in costal two-thirds (apart from costa itself); a yellow streak along dorsum, a yellow streak from base through fold to tornus, and a similar streak in middle of wing from one-fifth from base toward apex; fringes light grey. Hindwing whitish grey, darker towards costa, with white fringes.

Female (Figure 86). Wingspan 18 mm. Similar to male.

Variation. The examined specimens show only slight variation.

Male genitalia (Figure 215). Uncus moderately slender, sub-rectangular, approximately 1.4 times longer than wide, distally evenly rounded; gnathos hook stout, slightly longer than uncus, evenly curved 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 posterior third; pedunculi small, rounded; valva moderately slender, extending to about base of uncus, apex slightly swollen, weakly rounded, setose; saccular area covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow medial emargination, with indistinct lateral humps, suboval vincular sclerite with strongly sclerotised posterior edge; saccus sub-triangular, basally broad, distally tapered to pointed apex, ratio maximum width to length about 1, posterior margin with weakly sinusoid mediolateral projections, separated by shallow emargination, medial part smooth, without sclerotised ridge, lateral sclerites long and slender, approximately 0.8 times shorter than maximum width of saccus; phallus straight, with bulbous coecum, distal two-thirds slender, rod-like sclerotisation with few minute subapical thorns.

Female genitalia (Figure 285). Papilla analis strongly sclerotised, moderately large, apically weakly constricted, rounded; apophysis posterior rod-like, with exteremly widened sub-posterior sixth, moderately short, approximately 2.8 mm long; segment VIII approximately 0.7 mm long, about same width, large sclerotised dorso- and ventrolateral zone, medially largely membranous; subgenital plate with sub-triangular subostial sclerotisation, distinct suboval projection anteromedially, posteriorly extended into moderately long, basally widened, distally pointed sub-medial sclerites delimiting oblong ostium bursae, anterior margin a sclerotised edge connected with apophysis anterior; apophysis anterior rod-like, almost twice length of segment VIII, posteriorly becoming band-like venula of segment VIII, distinctly widening to large sclerotised zone, extending to posterior margin; colliculum moderately long, irregularly sclerotised; ductus bursae gradually widening to weakly delimited, slender corpus bursae, entire length of ductus and corpus bursae about 3 mm; signum moderately small, sub-triangular spiny plate.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus niphorrhoa is characterised by its light greyish forewings mottled with dark brown scales especially in the middle and apical part of the wing, and with three longitudinal yellow streaks. It is very similar to M. podolicus (Figure 92). Males of these two species can be separated by brushing scales off the tip of the abdomen in order see the uncus, which is shorter and broader in M. niphorrhoa . The male genitalia are very similar to other species of the M. fallax species group, particularly M. albovenata (Figure 213) and M. longipalpella (Figure 214), and differ only in subtle characters such as the anterior edge of the saccus and the stout gnathos hook. The female genitalia are characterised by the posteriorly extremely widened apopophysis posterior. However, females of several related species remain unknown and thus the diagnostic value of this character is tentative.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ACB3210 (n = 4). The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is moderate with mean 0.7% and maximum divergence of 1.4%. The distance to the nearest neighbour M. longipalpella is 4.8% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Kazakhstan, Russia (S Ural).

Biology.

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

Remarks.

Trichembola niphorrhoa was described from one male collected by Bartel at Lake Indersky, W. Kazakhstan (Meyrick 1926: 272).