Megacraspedus bengtssoni, 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 : 30-32

Megacraspedus bengtssoni sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "SPAIN [prov.] Aragon Gelsa 8 km NE, 240 m N 41.46004 W 0.37642 19.5.2016 J. Tabell leg." "DNA Barcode TLMF Lep 21279" (ZMUC). Paratypes. Spain. 1 ♂, prov. Alicante, Parcent, 450 m, 27.vi.2015, leg. H. Rietz; 1 ♂, prov. Alicante, Sierra de Crevillente, 400 m, 5.vi.2016, leg. H. Roweck & N. Savenkov (all ECKU); 1 ♂, prov. Castellon, 5 km E Cuevas de Vinroma, 200 m, 13.vii.1992, leg. M. Fibiger; 1 ♂, prov. Cuenca, Uña, 1150 m, 8-9.vii.2002, leg. B. Skule; 1 ♂, prov. Huesca, 6 km S Candasnos, Barranco de Valcuerna, 250 m, 19.vi.1998, leg. P. Skou, genitalia slide 3354 Hendriksen (all ZMUC); 10 ♂, prov. Huesca, 6 km SW Candasnos, Barranco de Valcuerna, 300 m, 15.vi.1999, leg. P. Skou, genitalia slide GU 15/1393 Huemer (TLMF, ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Cuenca, Cuenca, 29.vi.1982, leg. C. Gielis (RMNH); 1 ♂, prov. Cuenca, Uña, 1300 m, 12.ix.2007, leg. J. Viehmann; 1 ♂, prov. Huesca, Ontiñena, 300 m, 28.v.2015, leg. J. Viehmann; 1 ♂, prov. Huesca, 10 km SW Candasnos, 31.v.2016, leg. J. Viehmann (all RCWS); 5 ♂, same data, but 30.v.2015, leg. J. Viehmann (RCWS, ZMUC); 2 ♂, prov. Huesca, 10 km S Benabarre, Esteña, 800 m, 18.vi.1999, leg. P. Skou; 1 ♂, prov. Lleida, Artensa de Segre, Rubió, 14.vi.1989, leg. B. Å. Bengtsson, genitalia slide 3265 Bengtsson (RCBB); 1 ♂, prov. Lleida, 30 km NW Fraga, Ontinema, 250 m, 11.vii.1992, leg. M. Fibiger; 1 ♂, prov. Tarragona, Falset, 600 m, 19.vii.1984, leg. W. De Prins; 1 ♂, prov. Tarragona, 5 km S St. Carles de Ràpita, 20 m, 14.vi.1999, leg. P. Skou; 1 ♂, prov. Teruel, Cosa, 10.vii.1986, leg. C. Gielis; 1 ♂, prov. Teruel, 5 km NW Montalban, 950 m, 17.vii.2003, leg. B. Skule, genitalia slide GU 15/1394 Huemer (all ZMUC); 3 ♂, prov. Teruel, Sierra de Cucalon, 5 km E Baguena, 15.vi.2004, leg. J. Junnilainen, genitalia prep. (in glycerin); 2 ♂, prov. Zaragoza, Caspe, 6.v.2005, leg. J. Junnilainen (all RCJJ); 1 ♂, prov. Zaragoza, Tosos, 400m, 28.vi.1992, leg. P. Skou & B. Skule; 1 ♂, prov. Zaragoza, 4 km N Tosos, 400m, 28.vi.1997, leg. P. Skou (ZMUC).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figs 17-18). Wingspan 9-12 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with scale brush of about same length as segment 3, dark brown on outer surface, white mottled with brown on inner surface, white on upper surface; segment 3 about length of segment 2, white at base, becoming black towards tip. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum ringed black and light grey-brown. Head cream-white; thorax and tegula light brown, the latter with whitish tip. Forewing light grey-brown with scattered black scales, especially in fold and apical part; costa white from 1/3; a black dot at end of cell; some black scales along termen; fringes light grey. Hindwing light grey with concolorous fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. There is slight variation in the colour of the forewing (from light greyish towards light grey-brown) and in the amount of blackish scales. Some specimens have an indistinct black dot in the fold.

Male genitalia (Figs 157-158). Uncus moderately slender, 1.5 times as long as maximum basal width, sub-ovate, gradually tapered to weakly rounded apex; gnathos hook stout, slightly longer than uncus, straight, with pointed apex; anterior margin of tegumen with broadly rounded emargination, short ridges from anterior edge converging towards middle; pedunculi small, with additional sclerite; valva, straight, moderately stout, extending to about middle of uncus, apex weakly contorted, rounded, saccular area densely covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow emargination, indistinct lateral humps, vincular sclerites broadly sub-rectangular, tapered towards valva, with sclerotised posterior edge; saccus moderately short and broad, almost U-shaped, with abruptly tapered and pointed apical fifth, ratio maximum width to length about 1, posterior margin strongly bulged, with rounded mediolateral projections, separated by moderately shallow incision, medial part with sclerotised ridge from posterior edge to first third, lateral sclerites about two-thirds to full length of maximum width of saccus; phallus slightly shorter than tegumen, weakly curved medially, with bulbous coecum, sclerotised band in anterior part of coecum, distal two-thirds slender, with weakly rod-like sclerotisation ventrally, subapical area with small sclerite, with or without minute tooth, ductus ejaculatorius with linear interior sclerotisation.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus bengtssoni sp. n. is characterised by its relatively small size and by its light greyish brown forewings with a single black dot at the end of the cell. It is similar to M. lanceolellus , but that species is larger, it has shorter segment 3 of the labial palps and the costa is white from base. See also M. dejectella (p 85). The male genitalia are somewhat similar to M. lanceolellus (Figs 153-156) but differ in several characters such as the shorter uncus, the medially less emarginated anterior margin of tegumen, the shorter valva, and the broader saccus with a shorter medial ridge.

Molecular data.

BIN: BOLD:ACM1097 (n = 2). The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region has a maximum divergence of 0.2%. The distance to the nearest congeneric neighbour M. lanceolellus is 12% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Spain.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected from the middle of May to the middle of July at altitudes up to 1150 m.

Etymology.

The species name, a noun in the genitive case, is dedicated to Bengt Å. Bengtsson, Sweden, who collected part of the type series of this species and other valuable Megacraspedus specimens used for our study.