Megacraspedus armatophallus, 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 : 179-181

Megacraspedus armatophallus sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "SO-AFGHANISTAN Safed Koh, S-Seite Shahidan, 2700 m 21.6.1966 H. G. Amsel leg." " SMNK" "GU 17/1497 ♂ P. Huemer" (SMNK). Paratypes. Afghanistan. 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype (SMNK).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 151). Wingspan 16 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with scale brush longer than segment 3, brown on outer and inner surface, white mottled with brown on upper and lower surface; segment 3 shorter than seg ment 2, whitish at base, black towards tip. Antennal scape with a single pecten; flagellum brown, indistinctly ringed with light grey. Head thorax and tegula as forewing. Forewing greyish brown, dark grey at base of costa; weak black dots in fold at 2/5, and at 3/5 in middle of wing and at end of cell; scattered black scales forming an interrupted line along termen; fringes grey. Hindwing grey with grey fringes.

Female (Figure 152). Wingspan 15 mm. Antenna ringed dark brown and white. Head, thorax and tegula cream coloured, mottled with some brown. Forewing with apical third tapered to pointed apex, light brown. Hindwing about one-third width of forewing with lanceolate apex. Otherwise similar to male.

Variation. The female has no pecten on the antennal scape, but as it is rather worn such may have been lost.

Male genitalia (Figure 266). Uncus sub-rectangular, slightly longer than broad, apical margin with distinct medial emargination; gnathos hook moderately stout, apically pointed, slightly longer than uncus, weakly curved at about one-third; tegumen with broad and moderately shallow anterior emargination, additional weak emargination medially, with short sclerotised ridges merged near middle of tegumen; pedunculi small, suboval; valva massive, extending nearly to apex of uncus, basally widened, broad distal part with sclerotised ridge, apex rounded, setose; saccular area densely covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with U-shaped emargination, weakly curved lateral hump; saccus stout, V-shaped, about length of valva, posterior margin hardly emarginated, with indistinctly sinusoid mediolateral humps, medial part with sclerotised ridge from posterior margin nearly to tip of saccus, lateral sclerites slightly shorter that maximum width of saccus; phallus with weakly inflated coecum, distal three-quarters slender, dorsobasally with prominent, smooth thorn, medially short ridge with small spinules, distal part strongly broadened, apically rounded, distoventrally convex with broad tooth-like projection.

Female genitalia (Figure 305). Papilla analis small, apically rounded, largely membranous; apophysis posterior slender rod-like, approximately 3.6 mm long, posterior end bordered by small sclerotised field; segment VIII approximately 0.7 mm long, weakly sclerotised to membranous; subgenital plate with large subostial sclerotisation delimiting ostium bursae, sub-triangular process from base of apophysis anterior pointed anteromedially and delimiting anterior margin of segment VIII, and posteromedially pointed process, demarcating lateral part of ostium bursae by elongated, moderately deep sclerotised wall; apophysis anterior rod-like, approximately 1.2 mm long, sclerotised zone of venula along entire segment VIII; colliculum medium-sized, strongly sclerotised; ductus bursae slender, abruptly widened to moderately delimited corpus bursae; entire length of ductus and corpus bursae approximately 3.2 mm; signum a small, transverse, spiny plate.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus armatophallus sp. n. is characterised by the greyish brown forewings with three weak black dots and an interrupted black line along the termen. It is similar M. pacificus sp. n. (Figs 149-150) which has lighter forewings with the costal margin white and more distinct black dots. The shape of the uncus, the broad valva, and the phallus with a prominent thorn and a unique distal part are unmistakable diagnostic characters in the male genitalia. The female genitalia largely resemble those of M. pacificus sp. n. (Figure 304) but differ in characters such as the distinctly larger and strongly sclerotised colliculum.

Molecular data.

Not available, available specimens too old.

Distribution.

South-eastern Afghanistan.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The small type series was collected in the last third of June at altitudes of ca. 2700 m.

Etymology.

The species name is derived from a combination of the Latin words armatus (meaning armed warrior) and phallus, indicating the weapon-like shape of the phallus.