Megacraspedus skoui, 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 : 67-68

Megacraspedus skoui sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "Spain, [prov.] Granada, Sierra Nevada, Camino del Veleta 1650 m, 25.VI.1986, leg. Peder Skou" "Gen. prep. 5318 ♂ O. Karsholt" (ZMUC). Paratypes. Spain. 3 ♂, prov. Granada, Puerto de la Mora, 1300 m, 6.vi.1974, leg. W. Glaser, genitalia slide 5319 Karsholt (SMNK, ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Granada, 2 km W Diezma, 1400 m, 9-10.vii.2010, leg. Z. Tokár, genitalia slide GU 16/1405 ♂ Huemer (RCZT).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 52). Wingspan 11-13 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with scale brush almost as long as segment 3, brown on outer surface, brown mottle with white on inner surface, white on upper and lower surface; segment 3 longer than segment 2, black with white tip. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum black, indistinctly ringed with light brown. Head, thorax and tegula cream-white mottled with light grey-brown. Forewing light grey-brown; base of costa and apex darker; fringes grey. Hindwing grey with grey fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. One specimen has an indistinct black dot in the fold of the forewings.

Male genitalia (Figure 188). Uncus moderately slender, 1.7 times longer than maximum basal width, evenly tapered towards rounded apex; gnathos hook bulky, with longitudinal grooves, straight, slightly longer than uncus, apically strongly sclerotised, pointed; anterior margin of tegumen with deep V-shaped emargination, rounded pedunculi distinct; valva straight, moderately broad, extending slightly beyond base of gnathos, distorted apical part rounded; saccular area densely covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with deep medial emargination, broadly rounded lateral humps, suboval vincular sclerites with sclerotised posterior edge; saccus sub-triangular, with rod-like apex, ratio maximum width to length 0.7, posterior margin with pointed mediolateral projections, separated by moderately deep V-shaped incision, medial part with strongly sclerotised ridge strongly forked in medial part of saccus, lateral sclerites slightly longer than maximum width of saccus; phallus about length of tegumen, weakly curved, with weakly inflated coecum, distal two-thirds stout, ventral margin with sclerotised ridge extending to apex, weakly dentated near base, broader and shorter dorsal sclerotisation with row of minute teeth extending over entire length, ductus ejaculatorius with long and slender band-like interior sclerotisation.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus skoui sp. n. is characterised by its almost unicolorous light grey forewings. It resembles several smaller, unicolorous Megacraspedus species, especially M. pusillus , which has a distinct black dot at end of the cell (Figs 186-187). The male genitalia are very similar overall to other species of the M. pusillus species group and differ in particular in the characteristic dentations of the phallus. In this character the species resembles M. alfacarellus (Figs 184-185) but differs in the smaller uncus and some minute details such as the longer rod-like apex of the saccus.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ACT1624 (n = 1). The distance to the nearest neighbour M. spinophallus sp. n. is 7.97% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Spain (prov. Granada).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. Adults have been collected in June and July at altitudes between 1300 and 1650 m.

Etymology.

The species name (a noun in the genitive case) is dedicated to Peder Skou, Denmark, who collected the holotype of this species and numerous other Megacraspedus specimens used for our study.