Megacraspedus gredosensis, 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 : 55-56

Megacraspedus gredosensis sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "Hispania, [prov. Avila] 19.7.1980 Sierra de Gredos Navacepeda, 1500 m M. u. E. Arenberger" "GU 16/1416 ♂ P. Huemer" (RCEA). Paratypes. Spain. 1 ♂, same data as holotype (TLMF); 1 ♂, prov. Avila, Sierra de Villafranca, 1 km W La Herguijulea, 1650 m, 20.vii.2003, leg. B. Skule, genitalia slide 5314 Karsholt (ZMUC); 1 ♂, same data, but 15.vi.2012, leg. T. Nupponen, genitalia slide 17/1489 Huemer (RCKN).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 42). Wingspan 15 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with scale brush about as long as segment 3, dark brown on outer surface, whitish brown on inner surface, white on lower and upper surface; segment 3 white mottled with some black. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum blackish brown, indistinctly ringed with dirty white. Head, thorax and tegula cream coloured, mottled with brown. Forewing yellow-brown, mottled with grey towards costa; costa basally grey-brown, otherwise pure white; veins indistinctly white; fringes light grey. Hindwing dark grey with grey fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Male genitalia (Figure 175-176). Uncus moderately slender, approximately 2.5 times as long as maximum basal width, with parallel outer margin, distal part with weakly rounded apex; gnathos hook stout, about length of uncus, bent near base and slightly curved at apex, distal part club-shaped, apically pointed; anterior margin of tegumen with broadly rounded emargination; pedunculi moderately small, with additional sclerotisation; valva moderately slender, basal part distinctly wider than distal part, nearly straight with weakly curved and inflated apical part, extending to about base of uncus; sacculus long, slender digitate; posterior margin of vinculum with distinct medial emargination, broadly rounded lateral humps, vincular sclerites slender, with sclerotised proximal edge; saccus irregularly V-shaped, medially bulged, apical fifth abruptly tapered, ratio maximum width to length approximately 0.65, posterior margin with sub-triangular mediolateral projections, separated by deep incision, media part with long ridge, forked in middle of saccus, lateral sclerites stout, about length of maximum width of saccus; phallus with bulbous coecum, distal three-quarters slender, basally curved, a short sclerotised ridge with a single tooth subapically on ventral surface.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus gredosensis sp. n. is characterised by its yellow-brown forewings with a clear white costa and no black dots, and the dark grey hindwigs. It may resemble species of the M. dolosellus -complex, but these have more pure whitish veins, but not a pure white costa and lighter hindwings. The male genitalia are somewhat similar to M. glaberipalpus sp. n. (Figs 226-227) but are unmistakable due to the characteristic shape of the phallus.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ADI8272 (n = 1). The distance to the nearest neighbour M. bidentatus sp. n. is 10.01% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Central Spain (prov. Avila).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The few adults known to date have been collected in the middle of July at altitudes between 1500 and 1650 m.

Etymology.

This species is named after its place of occurrence: the mountain range of Sierra de Gredos in Central Spain. The name is an adjective.