Megacraspedus brachypteris, 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 : 83-85

Megacraspedus brachypteris sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "Macedonia NP [National Park] Mavrovo Korab [mountain], eastern ridge ca. 2325-2400 m 20°34'46"E, 41°47'08"N 28.7.-1.8.2011 leg. Huemer & Tarmann" "BC TLMF Lep 05189" "P. Huemer GEL 1199 ♂" (TLMF). Paratypes. Albania. 2 ♂, Qafa e Theothores, 14.vii.2013, leg. I. Richter, genitalia slide GU 17/1482 Huemer (NMPC); 1 ♂, Pashtrik, 4-14.vii.1918; 2 ♂, same data, but 29. v– 4.vi.1918; 3 ♂, Kula Ljums, 18-28.v.1918, genitalia slide Mus. Vind 16.660 (NHMW); Kula Ljums, 18-28.v.1918, leg. Alban. Exped.; 1 ♂, Pashtrik, 19.v.-4.vi.1918, leg. Alban. Exped., genitalia in vial (all NHMW). Bosnia and Herzegovina. 1 ♂, Trescavica, 16.vii.1903, leg. H. Rebel (NHMW). Greece. 1 ♂, Makedonia, 2.4 km SE Pisoderi, Vigla, 1550 m, 18.vi.2013, leg. P. Skou genitalia slide GU 16/1460 Huemer (ZMUC). Macedonia. 3 ♂, same data as holotype; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Sar Planina, Kara Bunar, 2300 m, 31.vii.-1.viii.2014 (all TLMF); 2 ♂, Gornja Matka, 22-23.v.2013, leg. I. Richter (NMPC); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Peristeri mts, Golemo ezero, 2200 m, 15-25.vii.1959, leg. F. Kasy (NHMW). Montenegro. 2 ♂, Kučka Krajina, Rikavačo jezero, 28.vi.2012 (NMCP).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 65). Wingspan 14-19 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with long scale brush, dark to light brown on outer and inner surface, white on lower and upper surface; segment 3 dirty white. Antennal scape without pecten; flagellum ringed blackish brown and white. Head white mottled with light brown; thorax and tegula as forewing. Forewing light brown from white brown-tipped scales; basal part of costa darker; a black dot in fold at ½ and one at end of cell well developed to reduced; fold yellow-brown; veins and medial edge of costa faintly whitish; fringes light grey. Hindwing light grey with concolorous fringes.

Female (Figure 66). Wingspan 11 mm. Labial palpus cream coloured. Forewing ellipsoidal, yellowish grey-brown, especially at base, along costa and around apex; two distinct black spots; veins indistinctly lighter; fringe light yellowish. Hindwing 2.5 times shorter than forewing, lanceolate, with lanceolate apex; whitish grey. Hindwing whitish grey, almost without fringes. Otherwise similar to male.

Variation. The variation in the forewing colour and labial palpi is probably due to faded compared with fresh specimens. Similarly the extent of the the two black dots of the forewing shows some variation, particularly in worn specimens they are largely reduced or denuded. Specimens from Albania (Pashtrik, Kula Ljums) have distinct black spots and are larger on average (17-19 mm) than those from other populations.

Male genitalia (Figs 199-200). Uncus large, sub-ovate, apex strongly constricted; gnathos hook moderately slender, apically pointed, about length of uncus, weakly curved; anterior margin of tegumen with broad and shallow U-shaped emargination, teguminal wall with short longitudinal ridge anteriorly; pedunculi of moderate size, suboval; valva stout, basally with small and digitate lateral projection, sub-basally with broad hump, distal part broadly digitate, about width of uncus, extending at most slightly beyond base of uncus, apex weakly contorted, rounded; saccular area densely covered with setae, without separated sacculus; posterior margin of vinculum with distinct medial emargination, weakly developed lateral humps, vincular sclerite elongated, suboval, with broadly sclerotised posterior edge; saccus moderately large, broadly V-shaped, short, ratio maximum width to length about 1, posterior margin with broadly rounded, shallow projections, weakly separated by small incision, medial part with shortly furcated sclerotised ridge, lateral sclerites approximately 0.9 times length of maximum width of saccus; phallus with strongly inflated globular coecum, about two times wider than distal part, with transverse sclerotised band, distal part moderately stout, about two times length of coecum, sclerotised dorsal and ventral ridge distinctly S-curved, apex pointed ventrad, ductus ejaculatorius with slender interior sclerotisation.

Female genitalia (Figure 278). Papilla analis small, apically rounded; apophysis posterior slender rod-like, 2.2 mm long, with short, bifurcate posterior end and minute sclerotised zone; segment VIII approximately 0.9 mm long, membranous; subgenital plate with broadly sub-triangular subostial sclerotisation, posteriorly with short, pointed sclerites, extending across first third of segment VIII, anteromedially delimiting sub-ovate ostium bursae, anterior margin with rod-like edge connected with apophysis anterior, medially with long and broad sub-triangular projection; apophysis anterior approximately 1.6 mm, slender, rod-like, about length of segment VIII, posteriorly becoming rod-like venula of segment VIII, extending to posterior margin of segment VIII, with widened posterior end; colliculum short, sclerotised; ductus bursae gradually widened into sub-ovate and weakly delimited corpus bursae, entire length of ductus and corpus bursae 1.8 mm; signum medium-sized, longitudinal, suboval spiny plate.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus brachypteris sp. n. is characterised by its light brown forewings with faintly whitish veins and with two black spots present or reduced. It is sometimes hardly separable from certain forms of M. binotella (Figs 62-64). Females differ from the latter by the largely reduced hindwings. The male genitalia differ from other species of the M. binotellus species group by the broad valva and the strongly curved distal part of the phallus. These characters are only shared with M. barcodiellus sp. n. (Figure 201) but the sub-basally bulged valva and the scleritized ridge of the saccus are distinctive. The female genitalia are very similar to M. binotella (Figure 278) and differ in particular in the distinctly shorter, pointed sclerites of the subgenital plate.

Molecular data.

BIN BOLD:ABA3165 (n = 3), BIN BOLD:ACZ2904 (n = 1), BIN BOLD:ACZ3665 (n = 1), BIN BOLD:ADJ3544 (n = 2). Genetically variable species. The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is large and reflected by 4 BINs with no divergence in BIN BOLD:ABA3165 but 0.9% variation in two specimens collected together and clustered in BIN BOLD:ADJ3544. The mean intraspecific divergence is 3.7%, with a maximum divergence of 6% indicating possible cryptic diversity. The minimum distance to the nearest neighbour M. dolosellus is 11.3% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro.

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The adults have been collected from late May to early August at altitudes between 1550 and 2400 m.

Etymology.

The species name refers to the brachypterous female sex and is an adjective.

Remarks.

Megacraspedus brachypteris sp. n. shows considerable phenotypic variation both individually and to some extent also geographically. However, the large intraspecific barcode divergence neither shows a clear geographic structure nor a concordant pattern to phenotypic appearance. Similarly the genitalia do not support cryptic diversity and therefore we accept only one species.