Megacraspedus skulei, 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 : 168-170

Megacraspedus skulei sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "SPAIN [prov.] Almeria Sierra de los Filabres Calar Alto, 2130 m N 37.221523 W 2.545495 5.7.2015 J. Tabell leg." "DNA Barcode TLMF Lep 19849" genitalia prep. (in glycerin) (ZMUC). Paratypes. Spain. 5 ♂, prov. Almería, Sierra de los Filabres, Calar Alto, 2130 m, 5.vii.2015, leg. J. Tabell (TLMF, ZMUC); 1 ♀, prov. Cádiz, Chiclana, 25.iv., coll. Staudinger, Anarsia disjectella in litt. (ZMHU); 8 ♂, prov. Cuenca, 7 km ESE Fuentes, 970-1100 m, 15.vii.2010, leg. T. Nupponen (RCKN); 4 ♂, prov. Girona, Port Bou, 0-600 m, 18.vi.-1.vii.1963, leg. M. & W. Glaser (SMNK); 1 ♂, prov. Guadalajara, 4 km E Embid, 1075 m, 8.vii.2007, leg. B. Skule & P. Skou (ZMUC); 2 ♂, prov. Huesca, 12 km S Benabarre Esteña, 700 m, 14.vii.2003, leg. B. Skule, genitalia slide GU 15/1392 Huemer (ZMUC); 3 ♂, same data, but 800 m, 17.vii.2003, leg. P. Skou, genitalia slide 4817 Hendriksen (ZMUC); 5 ♂, 1 ♀, prov. Teruel, Albarracin env., 1100 m, 28.vii.2010, leg. J. Šumpich, genitalia slides GU 16/1410 ♂ Huemer, GU 16/1411 ♀ Huemer; 5 ♂, same data, but 13.vii.2012, leg. M. Dvorak; 2 ♂, same data, but 14.vii.2012, leg. M. Dvorak; 13 ♂, same data, but 14.vii.2012, leg. M. Dvorak (all NMPC); 1 ♂, prov. Teruel, 5 km SE Albarracin, 1400 m, 18.vii.1995, leg. P Skou (ZMUC); 3 ♂, prov. Teruel, 4.5 km NE Albarracin, 1110 m, 7.vii.2016, leg. J. Tabell (TLMF, ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Teruel, 5 km NW Montalban, 950 m, 17.vii.2003, leg. B. Skule (ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Teruel, Sierra de Albarracin, Sierra Alta, 1750 m, 25.vi.2016, leg. J. Viehmann (RCWS); 5 ♂, prov. Teruel, 6 km N Pozodon, San Gines, 1500 m, 2.vii.2016, leg. J. Viehmann (RCWS, ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Zaragoza, 3 km E Cerveuela at Rio de Huerva, 800 m, 7.vii.2002, leg. B. Skule (ZMUC); 1 ♂, prov. Zaragoza, 5 km W Aguar´n, 750 m, 3.viii.2007, leg. B. Skule & P. Skou (TLMF).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 142). Wingspan 10-15 mm. Labial palpus long, porrect, blackish brown, white on upper surface; segment 3 reduced. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum whitish brown ringed with black. Head white mottled with light brown; thorax and tegula as forewing. Forewing white, mottled with scattered black-tipped scales, especially in apical part; an indistinct black dot in fold; an elongate black dot in middle of wing before apex; basal three-quarters of costa white; fringes light grey. Hindwing light grey, with light grey fringes.

Female (Figure 143). Wingspan 10 mm. Hindwing slightly more slender than in male with a more produced apex. Otherwise similar to male.

Variation. There is some variation in size, even among specimens collected at the same date. The black dots on the forewing before apex can be absent. Strongly marked specimens have a black streak before the apex. Worn specimens become more greyish.

Male genitalia (Figure 258). Uncus moderately large, semicircular, evenly rounded; gnathos hook strongly sclerotised, stout, slightly longer than uncus, weakly curved, medially widened, apically pointed; tegumen with medially confluent sclerotised anterior ridges, anterior margin with moderately shallow emargination, medially additional shallow excavation; pedunculi weakly demarcated, suboval; valva digitate, extraordinarily long, extending far beyond apex of uncus, broader basal part straight, tapered apical quarter weakly curved, apex pointed, distal area covered with setae medially and apically, saccular area weakly bulged but not clearly separated from valva; posterior margin of vinculum emarginated, with weakly rounded lateral humps, vincular sclerites broadly sub-rectangular; saccus sub-triangular, with pointed apex, moderately long, ratio maximum width to length approximately 0.8, posterior margin weakly arched, with shallow medial emargination, medial part without sclerotised ridge, lateral sclerites moderately short, approximately 0.8 times length of maximum width of saccus; phallus slender, straight, coecum weakly defined, distal three-quarters digitate, without specialised structures.

Female genitalia (Figure 302). Papilla analis large, approximately 0.7 mm long, apex broadly rounded; apophysis posterior rod-like, short, approximately 0.7 mm long, posteriorly bordered by small sclerotised field, weakly widened at about one-fifth, apex weakly inflated and rounded; segment VIII short, approximately 0.4 mm long, posteriolaterally sclerotised, medially membranous with microsculpture; subgenital plate reduced to proximally convex subostial sclerotisation, laterally connected with base of apophysis anterior by sclerotised edge, posteriorly extended into short sub-medial sclerites, delimiting oblong ostium bursae, anteromedial edge of segment VIII membranous; apophysis anterior rod-like, about length of segment VIII; colliculum short, sclerotised; ductus bursae slender, gradually widened to weakly defined corpus bursae, entire length of ductus and corpus bursae approximately 1.9 mm; signum small, irregularly shaped plate, posteriorly with two strong lateral teeth.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus skulei sp. n. is, together with M. knudlarseni sp. n. (p 122), the smallest species amongst Megacraspedus with a reduced segment 3 of the labial palps. It is similar to M. longivalvellus sp. n. (p 179). The male genitalia are almost unique within Megacraspedus and can be easily recognized by the extremely long and distally curved valva. They differ from the closely related M. longivalvellus sp. n. (Figs 259-260) in the more rounded shape of the uncus, the smaller gnathos hook, and the shorter and gradually tapered saccus. The female genitalia differ from other Megacraspedus in particular in the short apophysis posterior and the medially membranous anterior margin of segment VIII. However, females of the closest species M. longivalvellus sp. n. remain unknown for the time being.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ACM0982 (n = 5). The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is low with mean 0.3% and maximum divergence of 0.6%. The distance to the nearest neighbour M. longivalvellus sp. n. is 2.3% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Spain.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected from the second half of June to early August at altitudes from lowland to 2130 m.

Etymology.

The species name (a noun in the genitive case) is dedicated to Bjarne Skule, Denmark, who collected part of the type-series of this species and numerous other Megacraspedus specimens used for our study.

Remarks.

The species status of the closely allied and allopatric M. skulei sp. n. and M. longivalvellus sp. n. is supported by morphology and DNA barcodes.