Megacraspedus tristictus Walsingham, 1910

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 : 63-65

Megacraspedus tristictus Walsingham, 1910

Megacraspedus tristictus Walsingham, 1910: 231.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, [France] “Holo-type” "Cannes S FRANCE 22.V.1892 Wlsm. 81169" “Type” "Walsingham Collection, 1910 –427.” " Megacraspedus tristictus ♂ Wlsm. Ent. Mo. Mag. 46.231-2 sp. 3009.1 (1910) TYPE ♂ (f) deser 81169" (BMNH). Non-type material. France. 2 ♂, Dep. Alpes Maritimes, S of Tende, Saorge, 482 m, 3-4.vii.2008, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC); 1 ♂, same data, but 6.vi.2009, leg. P. Huemer; 1 ♂, same data, but 7.vi.2009, leg. P. Huemer, genitalia prep. (in glycerin); 1 ♂, Alpes Maritimes, Les Ferres, 3.vii.1971, leg. F. Dujardin; 1 ♂, Dep. Alpes Maritimes, St. Barnabé, 7.vi.1970, leg. F. Dujardin; 1 ♂, Dep. Alpes Maritimes, Èze, Fort de la Revere, 700 m, 23.vi.1995, leg. J. Nel, genitalia slide 4105 Nel (all TLMF); 1 ♂, Dep. Alpes Maritimes, Col de Vence 11-12.vi.1981, leg. Hahn (RCEA); 1 ♂, Dep. Alpes Maritimes, Gourdon, late vi.1968, leg. F. Zürnbauer, genital slide GEL 1185 Huemer (TLMF); 1 ♂, same data, but 13.v.1994, leg. Petru (NMPC); 1 ♂, Dep. Drôme, Col de l’Homme Mort, 1212 m, 17.vi.1982, leg. C. Gibeaux & Lovenu (ZMUC); 2 ♂, Dep. Var, Puits de Rians, 27.v.2000, leg. J. Nel, genitalia slide 11295 Nel; 2 ♂, Dep. Var, Puits de Rians, la Gardiole, 3.vi.2000, leg. J. Nel; 1 ♂, same data, but 19.vi.2001, leg. J. Nel; 1 ♂, same data, but 4.vi.1995, leg. J. Nel, genitalia slide 3819 Nel; 1 ♂, same data, but 30.v.1999, leg. J. Nel; 1 ♂, Dep. Var, Puits de Rians, la Plarée, 31.v.2004, leg. J. Nel; 1 ♂, Dep. Var, Mt. Caume, l´ubac, 750 m, 5.vi.2000, leg. J. Nel; 1 ♂, Dep. Var, Mt. Caume, ouest, 740 m, 29.v.1994, leg. J. Nel, genitalia slide 2064 Nel; 1 ♂, Dep. Var, Draguignan, 6.vi.1993, leg. J. Nel, genitalia slide 1170 Nel; 1 ♂, same data, but 31.v.1992, leg. J. Nel, genitalia slide 2543 Nel (all TLMF); 1 ♂, Dep. Var, Frejus, 20.v.1998, leg. H. K. Jensen (ZMUC). Italy. 1 ♂, prov. Savona, Conna, 300 m, 28.vi.1976, leg. G. Baldizzone (ZMUC).

Redescription.

Adult. Male (Figure 48). Wingspan 10-13 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with moderately long scale brush, light brown on outer surface, white mottled with brown on inner surface, white on lower and upper surface; segment 3 white with black tip. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum light brown ringed with black. Head very light brown; thorax and tegula yellowish brown. Forewing light brown, from dorsum to fold yellowish brown, costa whitish brown apart from dark base; a black dot in fold at 2/5 and two black dots at 3/5 in middle of wing and at end of cell; a few blackish scales along termen; fringes light grey. Hindwing light grey with concolorous fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. There is some variation in size, including among specimens from the same locality.

Male genitalia (Figure 183). Uncus moderately slender, about one-third times longer than maximum basal width, weakly tapered, apical edge evenly rounded; gnathos hook bulky, strongly sclerotised, particularly at apex, with longitudinal grooves, straight, approximately 1.5 times length of uncus, apically pointed; anterior margin of tegumen with deep V-shaped emargination, suboval pedunculi small; valva straight, stout, extending to about middle of uncus, distorted apical part rounded; saccular area densely covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with deep U-shaped medial emargination, broadly rounded lateral humps, suboval vincular sclerites with sclerotised posterior edge; saccus broadly sub-triangular, abruptly tapered at about two-thirds, ratio maximum width to length about 1, posterior margin with pointed mediolateral projections, separated by moderately deep incision, medial part with strongly sclerotised longitudinal ridge extending nearly to apex of saccus, lateral sclerites slightly shorter than maximum width of saccus; phallus slightly shorter than tegumen, almost straight, with moderately inflated coecum, distal two-thirds gradually tapered, ventrally with sclerotised ridge, dorsomedial area broadly sclerotised, ductus ejucalatorius twirled, with contorted linear interior sclerotisation.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus tristictus is characterised by its light yellowish brown forewings with three distinct black dots. It resembles M. pentheres (Figure 130). M. faunierensis sp. n. (Figure 40) differs in having the head white and the antennae darker. The male genitalia are similar overall to other species of the M. pusillus species group but differ e.g., by the distinctly shorter uncus.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ADA0606 (n = 1). The distance to the nearest congeneric neighbour M. tenuiuncus sp. n. is 12%, the distance to the nearest BIN in BOLD, Emarginea combusta ( Noctuidae ), is 10.3% (p-dist).

Distribution.

South-eastern France, north-western Italy.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected from the middle of May to early July at altitudes from 300 to 1200 m.

Remarks.

Megacraspedus tristictus was described from one male collected by Walsingham at Cannes, SE France, 22.v.1892 (Walsingham 1910).