Anhypotrix Lafontaine, Ferris & Walsh, 2010

Lafontaine, Donald, Ferris, Clifford & Walsh, J., 2010, A revision of the genus Hypotrix Guenee in North America with descriptions of four new species and a new genus (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Eriopygini), ZooKeys 39 (39), pp. 225-253 : 249-250

Anhypotrix Lafontaine, Ferris & Walsh , gen. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:95031C4C-626F-4B91-803F-7C322588E240

Type species. Polia tristis Barnes & McDunnough, 1910: 152 .

Etymology. The generic name Anhypotrix is a reference to this species being removed from its former congeners. From the Greek An [not] Hypotrix .

Diagnosis. The genus Anhypotrix differs from Hypotrix in that the uncus in Anhypotrix is cylindrical, tapered to a spine-tipped apex, the clasper is massive, gently curved on the ventral margin of the valve with a preapical tooth, the digitus is vestigial, the aedeagus has a large bulbous base and a narrow neck-like apex, and the details of the vesica are different. The female genitalia in Anhypotrix differ from those of Hypotrix in having lightly sclerotized anal papillae that are short and rounded posteriorly, and abdominal segment eight has a rounded sclerotized posterior plate on each side of the ostium.

Anhypotrix tristis never associates with species in the genus Hypotrix in barcode analyses, a result already suggested by the very different form of male clasper and female anal papillae. No other known species has similar male genitalia and the barcode results do not suggest any known genus with which the species can be associated so we describe a new genus for it. We place it with the other southwestern genera that have spiniform tibiae ( Hypotrix (some species), Trichofeltia McDunnough , and Mimobarathra Barnes & McDunnough ) and within this group after Hypotrix because of the similarities in the form of the various parts of the bursa copulatrix in the female genitalia.

Description. Adult: Head – Frons rounded; labial palpus with apical segment about 1/4 as long as second segment; male antenna narrowly biserrate, individual segments diamond shaped, bifasciculate; female antenna filiform, densely setose ventrally; eye rounded, hairy; ocellus present. Thorax – Thorax clothed with hair-like scales and spatulate, apically serrated scales that form a slightly raised tuft on the prothorax, and a partially divided tuft on the metathorax that blends with a broad dorsal tuft of scales on the first abdominal segment. Legs: spiniform setae on middle and hind tibae near tibial spurs, and in three ventral rows on tarsi. Wings: forewing venation typically quadrifine, cubital vein appearing four branched; hindwing with typical trifine venation (i.e., M2 reduced, about 2/3 down cell and parallel to M3. Abdomen – basal abdominal brushes and pockets absent. Eighth abdominal sternite of male with an eversible coremata with a tuft of long setae. Male genitalia – Uncus: decurved, cylindrical, abruptly tapered to flat heavily sclerotized apex. Valva : symmetrical, basally broad, narrowed postmesially into an elongated “neck,” broadening to rounded cucullus with scattered slender setae forming partial corona; sacculus short, heavily sclerotized, with a large, rounded dorsal process, but without membranous flap; clasper near middle of valve on ventral margin, stout and heavily sclerotized, slightly upturned apically with preapical tooth; clasper connected to apex of sacculus and valve costa by long sclerotized rods; digitus absent. Aedeagus: base bulbous, tapered to narrow “neck” at apex, smooth (without spines or spinules); everted vesica tubular, about 3 × as long as aedeagus, basal 1/4 with double row of 23–26 long cornuti on left side and single row of 12–14 long cornuti on right; vesica with postmedial coil; small diverticulum at base of coil with apical cornutus and small diverticulum in middle of coil; apex of vesica covered with spinules. Female genitalia – Corpus bursae gourd shaped, rounded anteriorly, tapered posteriorly into wide appendix bursae on right side with single coil. Ductus bursae heavily sclerotized, middle surface rugose with thicker bands of sclerite; posterior half of ductus abruptly wider and bulging to sides, especially on left, then constricting to narrower ostium. Abdominal segment eight extended posteriorly into rounded sclerotized plate on each side of ostium. Anterior apophyses rod-like, widening posteriorly, slightly longer than abdominal segment eight. Posterior apophyses about 2 × longer than anterior apophyses. Anal papillae lightly sclerotized, slightly wider mesially, gradually tapered to rounded apex; surface covered with long hair-like setae.

Distribution. Known from New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico.