Megacraspedus steineri, 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 : 156-157

Megacraspedus steineri sp. n.

Examined material.

Holotype ♂, "Maroc, Haut Atlas Toubkal Massif Oukaïmeden area piste Oukaïmeden-Tizi-n-Eddi 31°10'N, 7°50'W 3.viii.2008, 2815 m A. Steiner leg." "GU 16/1421 ♂ Huemer" "DNA Barcode TLMF Lep 19846" (ZMUC).

Description.

Adult. Male (Figure 131). Wingspan 13 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus with long scale brush, blackish brown, white on upper surface; segment 3 shorter than scale brush of segment 2, white with black tip. Antennal scape with pecten of a few hairs; flagellum indistinctly ringed with lighter and darker brown. Head cream-white; thorax and tegula as forewing. Forewing light yellow mottled with some blackish brown scales; black spots in fold and at 1/2 and 3/4 in middle of wing; fringes yellowish grey. Hindwing grey with grey fringes.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Unknown.

Male genitalia (Figure 249). Uncus moderately small, basally constricted, suboval, about same length as width, apex broadly rounded; gnathos hook stout, about length of uncus, evenly curved, lateromedially widened, apically pointed; tegumen with me dially confluent sclerotised anterior ridges, anterior margin with broad and moderately shallow emargination, additional small shallow excavation medially; pedunculi 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 rounded lateral humps, vincular sclerites elongated, slender; 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, with broad and shallow medial emargination, medial part with sclerotised ridge, extended beyond middle of saccus, lateral sclerites short, approximately 0.6 times length of maximum width of saccus; phallus with bulbous coecum, distal two-thirds stout, weakly curved, with sclerotised dorsal and ventral ridge.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

Megacraspedus steineri sp. n. is characterised by its light yellow forewing with three black spots. It has moreover a long scale brush at segment 2 of the labial palpi. The species is most similar to M. glaberipalpus sp. n. (p 128). The male genitalia are very similar to some other species of the M. pentheres species group with only small differences e.g., such as the medial ridge of the saccus or the absence of spines on the phallus.

Molecular data.

Not available, barcoding failed.

Distribution.

Morocco (High Atlas).

Biology.

Host plant and early stages are unknown. The holotype was collected in early August at an altitude of ca. 2800 m.

Etymology.

The species name (a noun in the genitive case) is dedicated to Axel Steiner, Germany, who collected the holotype.

Remarks

. Despite the limited diagnostic genitalia characters and the absence of molecular data, the separate species status is supported by the colour and pattern of the forewing.