Megacraspedus tenuignathos, 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 : 119-120

Megacraspedus tenuignathos sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "MAROKKO Imilchil Hoher Atlas 2000 m Seeufer [lake shore] TF 11.08.1998 leg. Rolf Bläsius” "DNA Barcode TLMF Lep 19881" "GU 16/1423 ♂ P. Huemer" (RCAW).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 97). Wingspan 22 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with long scale brush, dark brown mottled with white; upper surface white; segment 3 long, white. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum light brown. Head whitish; thorax and tegula as forewing. Forewing light yellow; veins white, more or less edged with black scales; costal streak white, dark yellow at base; black scales along termen; fringes alternatively light and dark. Hindwing light grey, with yellowish grey fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Male genitalia (Figure 225). Uncus broadly oblong, approximately 1.5 times longer than broad, outer margin parallel, apex strongly arched; gnathos hook long and slender, slightly longer than uncus, evenly curved, apically pointed; anterior margin of tegumen with broad and deep emargination, pedunculi moderately large with additional sclerite; valva moderately slender, distal part slightly tapered, evenly curved, extending to about base of uncus; saccular area covered with strong setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow medial emargination, without lateral hump, elongated suboval vincular sclerite with strongly sclerotised posteriomedial edge, laterally fused with base of valva; saccus nearly V-shaped, long, ratio maximum width to length approximately 0.6, rod-like apical quarter abruptly tapered, posterior margin broadly arched, without medial emargination, medial part with short sclerotised ridge, lateral sclerites slightly longer than maximum width of saccus; phallus with bulbous coecum, distal two-thirds stout, straight, with two long sclerotisations, distinct subapical tooth on right side and two small spines on left side.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus tenuignathos sp. n. is among the largest species in the genus without a reduced segment 3 of the labial palpus. It is moreover characterised by its light yellow forewings with white veins edged with black without black dots. The male genitalia are unmistakable due to the long and slender gnathos hook, the strongly arched posterior margion of the saccus without medial emargination, and the characteristic spines of the phallus.

Molecular data.

Not available, barcoding failed.

Distribution.

Morocco (High Atlas).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The holotype was collected in mid August at an altitude of ca. 2000 m.

Etymology.

The species name is a compound word derived from the Latin words tenuis (meaning small) and gnathos, referring to the slender uncus. The name is a noun in apposition.