Megacraspedus multipunctellus, 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 : 158-159

Megacraspedus multipunctellus sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "TURKEI Prov. Konya, 36°57'N 33°17'E Setravul Geçidi 1550 m 28 km S Karaman, 3.09.1983 LF leg. Werner Wolf" "GU 16/1455 ♂ Huemer" (ECKU). Paratype. Turkey. 1 ♂, same data as holotype, but without genitalia slide (ZMUC).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 133). Wingspan 14 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with moderately long scale brush, brown on outer and lower surface, white mottled with brown on inner surface, white on upper surface; segment 3 shorter than segment 2, whitish brown. Antennal scape white, with pecten of several hairs; flagellum brown, indistinctly ringed lighter. Head, thorax and tegula white. Forewing cream-white, mottled with scattered black-tipped scales, especially in apical part; two black dots in fold and one at end of cell; black-tipped scales along termen; fringes white. Hindwing whitish grey, with white fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. None.

Male genitalia (Figure 251). Uncus moderately small, basally constricted, suboval, slightly shorter than broad, sub-basally widened, distinctly tapered to weakly rounded apex; gnathos hook stout, about length of uncus, evenly curved, lateromedially widened, apically pointed; tegumen smooth, with longitudinal anteriomedial ridge, anterior margin with broad and moderately shallow emargination, additional small and shallow excavation medially; pedunculi moderately small; valva long, extending to about tip of uncus, broader at base, distal part slender, apically weakly curved with rounded apex; sacculus well developed, short, slender digitate; posterior margin of vinculum with shallow medial emargination, weakly developed lateral humps, vincular sclerites irregularly oblong; saccus broadly sub-triangular, with broadly V-shaped outer edge, evenly tapered to pointed apex, moderately short, ratio maximum width to length about 1, posterior margin broadly arched, nearly sinusoid, with broad and shallow medial emargination, medial part smooth, without sclerotised ridge, lateral sclerites short, about half length of maximum width of saccus; phallus with bulbous coecum, distal two-thirds stout, medially weakly curved, with sclerotised dorsal and ventral ridge, no additional sclerites.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus multipunctellus sp. n. is characterised by its short segment 3 of the labial palpus, the antennal scape with several hairs, and by its cream-white forewings with scattered black scales and dots. It is most similar to M. cerussatellus (Figure 107), but that species is smaller and has pure white forewings. The male genitalia are very similar to M. gibeauxi sp. n. (Figure 250) and other species of the M. pentheres species group and differ only in subtle characters such as the shape of the uncus and the shape and sclerotisations of the phallus.

Molecular data.

Not available, barcoding failed.

Distribution.

Central Turkey.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The small type-series was collected in early September at an altitude of 1550 m.

Etymology.

The species name indicates the characteristic wing pattern and is derived from a combination of the Latin words multus (meaning many) and punctus (meaning dot), and the diminutive suffix -ellus. The name is a noun in apposition.