Megacraspedus bidzilyai, Šumpich, 2022

Šumpich, Jan, 2022, Megacraspedus (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) of the Altai Mountains with description of a new species belonging to the M. majorella group, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 62 (2), pp. 401-409 : 402-404

Megacraspedus bidzilyai sp. nov.

( Figs 1–7 , 19 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂ ( NMPC): RUSSIA: ALTAI REPUBLIC: Belyashi (Dzhazator) env.(25 km NW), confluence of Argut and Karagem rivers, 49°51′56″N, 87°10′22″E, rocky steppe, 1400 m a.s.l., 27.–28. vii.2017 (Barcode NMPC-LEP-0381), J. Šumpich leg. PARATYPES: 51 ♂♂ 1 ♀ (49 ♂♂ 1 ♀ NMPC, 2 ♂♂ ZMKU): the same collecting data as holotype, gen. prep. Šumpich 18239, 21353, 21357.

Description. Adult. Male ( Figs 1–3 ). Wingspan 17–21 mm (on average 20 mm). Segment 2 of labial palpus comparatively long, at upper border of outer surface white dusted with brown scales, lower part densely dusted with brown scales, exceptionally almost brown ( Fig. 3 ), inner surface similarly coloured. Segment 3 white, mottled with brown scales, especially near top. Antennal scape with several long pecten scales. Flagellum brown, distinctly ringed with creamy ochre to whitish. Head, thorax and tegula creamy whitish, weakly mottled with brown scales. Forewing grey, slightly darker near costa, two small blackish dots at 1/3 and 2/3 of wing, fringes light grey. Hindwing dark grey with grey fringes.

Female ( Fig. 4 ). Wingspan 19.5 mm. Similar to male but generally lighter, hindwings whitish. Head of the only available female is lost.

Variation. The degree of variability is very low. Fresh specimens appear darker and more contrasting.

Male genitalia ( Figs 5–6 ). Uncus broad, almost square, slightly rounded in corners of apical part. Gnathos stout, broad, slightly longer than uncus, middle part is straight, at end curved and sharply pointed.Tegumen broad, in shape of isosceles triangle, pedunculi broadly oval. Valva broad, regularly equal, extending to near top of uncus, apex distinctly rounded laterally and inwardly ended sharply, covered with setae, more densely in apex area. Separated sacculus not developed. Posterior margin of vinculum with comparatively deeper medial emargination. Saccus sub-triangular with weakly pointed apex, ratio maximum width to length approximately 0.7, lateral sclerites approximately 0.7 times maximum width of saccus. Phallus straight, bulbous coecum, in middle of phallus small sclerotised microplate with minute spines, ductus ejaculatorius twisted several times, apically with short interior sclerotisation.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 7 ). Papilla analis large, elongated, apically rounded. Anterior apophysis very short, posterior apophysis 3.5 times longer than anterior apophysis. Segment VIII distinct, slightly sclerotized distally. Subgenital plate with triangular subostial sclerotisation, distally pointed, anteriorly delimiting oblong ostium bursae, anterior margin smooth, slightly concave, connecting with anterior apophysis. Colliculum comparatively short, tube-shaped, sclerotised, slightly expanding anteriorly. Ductus bursae gradually widening to weakly delimited, comparatively broad corpus bursae, entire length of ductus and corpus bursae only slightly longer than entire length of papilla analis and posterior apophysis. Signum small, in shape of rounded spiny plate.

Differential diagnosis. Megacraspedus bidzilyai sp. nov. is characterised by grey coloration and two small black dots on the forewings in combination with a fairly large wingspan. It is most similar to M. majorella Caradja, 1920 , but M. bidzilyai sp. nov. is overall darker, a particularly distinct difference is in the hindwing, which is very light in M. majorella . Moreover, in M. bidzilyai sp. nov., the forewing is densely dusted with darker scales and appears finely speckled, while in M. majorella the overall coloring gives a solid plain impression. Male genitalia of M. bidzilyai sp. nov. are unique within the genus due to broadly sub-rectangular uncus, stout gnathos and a small sclerotised spined patch on the phallus. Similarity is evident only with species from the M. majorella group, but M. majorella has distinctly thinner valvae and broader saccus while M. latiuncus Huemer & Karsholt, 2018 has a less stout gnathos, posteriorly tapering valves and differently shaped spined patch on the phallus.

Molecular data. BIN: BOLD:ADR7289. The average intraspecific distance of the barcode region is unknown (n = 1). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbour, Megacraspedus latiuncus (BIN: BOLD:AEK4287), is 5.93% (p-dist) ( Fig. 18 ).

Etymology. The species name is dedicated to the excellent Ukrainian lepidopterologist Oleksiy Bidzilya (Institute for Evolutionary Ecology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine), who has made an exceptionally significant contribution to the knowledge of the gelechiids of Siberia including the Russian Altai Mountains.

Biology. Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults were collected at an altitude of 1400 m at the end of July. The type locality is extremely low-lying in the geomorphological conditions of the high parts of the Russian Altai, surrounded by several high mountain ridges with glacier-covered peaks, difficult to reach and substantially isolated from places with comparable natural conditions ( Figs 19–20 ).

Distribution. Russia: Altai Republic.

Remarks. Based on male genitalia characters, Megacraspedus bidzilyai sp. nov. belongs to the Megacraspedus majorella species group, which was established by HUEMER & KARSHOLT (2018). This group comprised only two species so far, and no female is known from either of them. HUEMER & KARSHOLT (2018) point to the uncertain systematic position of this species group due to the absence of supportive molecular data. However, since molecular data have been obtained for two species of this group, an updated annotated checklist of the M. majorella group is attached. Specific structures in the male genitalia of all three species and the close genetic relationship between M. latiuncus and M. bidzilyai sp. nov. confirm the correctness of establishing a separate species group. The description of the female of M. bidzilyai sp. nov. can be considered as the initial basis for the characteristics of the females of M. majorella group.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Adults of Megacraspedus bidzilyai sp. nov., Russia, Altai Mts., details in text. 1–3 – males: 1 – holotype (barcoded); 2 – paratype; 3 – head (enlarged); 4 – female, paratype.

Figs 5–7. Genitalia of Megacraspedus bidzilyai sp. nov., Russia, Altai Mts., details in text. 5–6 – male genitalia, paratypes: a – phallus; b – detail of apical part of phallus. 7 – female genitalia: c – detail of ostium; d – signum; e – oposite view of signum.

Figs 19–21. Habitats of Megacraspedus species. 19–20 – M. bidzilyai sp. nov., Russia,Altai Mts. 21 – M. latiuncus Huemer & Karsholt, 2018, Kyrgyzstan, North Tian-Shan Mts. (19 – photographed by Z. Růžičková, 21 – photographed by I. Dvořák).

Fig. 18. Neighbor-joining tree of Megacraspedus species recorded in Altai Mts., M. latiuncus Huemer & Karsholt, 2018, and Caryocolum tetrameris (Meyrick, 1926) as an outgroup. Source: Barcode of Life Database, cf. RATNASINGHAM & HEBERT (2007).