Eudryas brevipennis bonneville Shepard & Crabo

Crabo, Lars G., Davis, Melanie, Hammond, Paul, Tomas Mustelin, & Jon Shepard,, 2013, Five new species and three new subspecies of Erebidae and Noctuidae (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from Northwestern North America, with notes on Chytolita Grote (Erebidae) and Hydraecia Guenee (Noctuidae), ZooKeys 264, pp. 85-123 : 94-97

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.264.4304

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/13260437-005E-873C-374E-56EAB6F8B2AB

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Eudryas brevipennis bonneville Shepard & Crabo
status

ssp. n.

Eudryas brevipennis bonneville Shepard & Crabo ssp. n. Figs 6, 36, 48

Type material.

Holotype male, USA, Idaho, [Twin Falls County], Twin Falls, 10.VII.1953, J. R. Douglass leg./ Database # CNC LEP 00094168/ Genitalia CNC slide #15232 male. CNC. Paratypes 5 males, 5 females. USA. Idaho. Gooding County: Wendell, 3500' [1067 m.], 25.VII.1965, R. E. Miller leg. (1 female); Power County: Massacre Rocks S[tate] P[ark], 4290' [1308 m.], 42.679°N, 112.987°W, 17.VII.2010, J. & S. Shepard leg. (1 male); Twin Falls County: Buhl, 3500' [1067 m.], 29.VI.1961, R. E. Miller leg. (1 male); Kimberly, 1 mi. E., 10.VII.1970, A. C. Antonelli collector (1 female); Twin Falls [42.57°, -114.47°], 10.VII.1953, J. R. Douglas leg. (1 male); [same locality and collector], 7.VII.1945 (1 male), 9.VIII.1945 (1 female), 12.VII.1952 (1 female), [same locality and collector], 3700' [1128 m.], 25.V.1953 (1 male); [same locality], 15.VI.1959, K. E. Gibson leg., Genitalia CNC slide #16535 (1 female). CNC, JHS, WFBM.

Etymology.

The species name is derived from Lake Bonneville. This glacial lake covered much of Utah and southern Idaho during the late Pleistocene epoch. The distribution of this moth is in the Lake Bonneville Basin and along its historic flood path along the Snake River.

Diagnosis.

No other Pacific Northwest noctuid is likely to be confused with this brightly colored moth. Eudryas brevipennis bonneville is superficially nearly identical to Eudryas unio ( Hübner) (Fig. 8), which occurs in eastern North America as far west as the eastern Great Plains and Texas, but the genitalia of Eudryas brevipennis bonneville are indistinguishable from those of Eudryas brevipennis brevipennis Stretch from California. The long distal processes of the male aedeagus of Eudryas brevipennis (Fig. 36) are shorter by 20-25% compared to the lengths of the corresponding structures in Eudryas unio (Fig. 37). Similarly, the ductus bursae of females of Eudryas brevipennis (Fig. 48) is shorter thanthat of Eudryas unio (Fig. 49). The valves of Eudryas brevipennis (Fig. 36) are slightly shorter and less pointed than those of Eudryas unio (Fig. 37). In the females, the ductus bursae of Eudryas brevipennis is about 25% shorter than that of Eudryas unio , although these structures are difficult to measure precisely.

Subspecies Eudryas brevipennis bonneville differs from the nominate subspecies from California (Fig. 7) by the width of the dark marginal borders of both wings and darkness of the discal spots. The red-brown hindwing marginal band is relatively narrow and mottled in Eudryas brevipennis bonneville , resembling those of Eudryas unio , whereas that of Eudryas brevipennis brevipennis is wider and uniformly darker. The reniform spot and hindwing discal spot are both black in Eudryas brevipennis brevipennis . Only the posterior part of the reniform spot is black in Eudryas brevipennis bonneville and its hindwing discal spot is smaller and fainter.

Description.

Head - Antenna of male nearly filiform with slight narrowing of the basal portion of each segment, covered with very short cilia on ventral portion. Antenna of female filiform similar, with longer cilia reduced in number to a single cilium on each side of each segment. Scape covered in short black scales, white ventrally. Eye round, smooth. Palpus covered in short black and occasional white scales, the latter most numerous on distal basal segment and near apex; middle segment relatively long. Frons with a conical central projection with slightly down-turned apex, covered in narrow black scales and a few white scales near base of antenna. Top of head covered with shiny black scales. Thorax - Vestiture centrally of shiny brown-black spatulate scales that form a loose posterior tuft, and laterally of hair-like white scales. Prothoracic collar covered centrally with shiny black scales, shorter anteriorly where they are mixed with a few white scales and longer posteriorly, and laterally with long pure white hair-like scales. Tegula covered entirely by long hair-like pure-white scales. Legs covered with shorter dark-gray, short white, and long white scales, longest on femur and tibia of foreleg and femora of mid-leg and hind-leg; with white rings on ends of segments; ventral tarsal segments with three rows of spiniform setae. Wings - Forewing length: males 15-16 mm; females 16-17 mm. Forewing ground color white with a pearly sheen; basal two-thirds of anterior wing from anterior cell to costal margin covered in dark-maroon, charcoal-gray, and a few lavender scales, darkest gray on costal margin and in distal cell and dark brown red in base of cell; middle third of posterior margin and subterminal area adjacent to postmedial line similar black, maroon, and lavender, widest on mid-wing to form a black and lavender patch bordered anteromedially by dark ochre; remainder of distal wing mottled red brown and lavender. Basal, antemedial and medial lines absent. Postmedial line thick olive brown, smoothly waved, positioned closer to outer margin than end of cell, roughly parallel to outer margin on anterior and mid-wing and more strongly curved basad near posterior margin to blend with posterior margin. Subterminal line powdery lavender, undulating, preceded by ill-defined patches of black, strongest opposite cell and between veins posterior to CuA1. Terminal line a series of red-brown lunules between veins. Orbicular spot blackish gray, elongate, fused to dark color of costa to form posterior margin of area in medial cell. Reniform spot diffuse, C-shaped, anterior portion blackish gray fused to dark costa like orbicular spot, mid-portion narrow, olive, and posterior end a diffuse black spot. Claviform spot absent. Fringe graybrown. Dorsal hindwing bright yellow. Hindwing discal spot dark gray to black, diffuse. Hindwing postmedial line reduced to a black spot at inner margin; marginal band circa 0.2 × width of wing with undulating inner border, chestnut brown, darkest at anal angle and interrupted by yellow scales near veins; terminal line dark chestnut brown. Hindwing fringe red tan. Abdomen - Dorsal half bright yellow and venter whitish gray, with black spots on dorsal midline and each side of each segment and loose tufts of metallic brown-black scales on dorsal segments I–III. Male genitalia - Uncus rod-like, slightly curved, tapering gradually from base to apex with slight lateral widening near tip, distal portion slightly dorsoventrally flattened with a dorsal medial ridge, tapering to a downturned point. Anal tube sclerotized at base of dorsal portion and more extensively and strongly ventrally and laterally, ventral portion bulbous at base with ventral medial groove, tapering distally. Juxta bell shaped, 1.2 × as tall as wide, widest ventrally. Valve birdwing shaped; costal margin divided into two straight segments separated by a 45° downward bend at junction of proximal two-thirds and distal third, basal segment of costa sclerotized and angled 45° dorsad relative to attachment; posterior margin with bend dorsad at mid-point beyond sacculus, meeting costal margin at a point. Sacculus heavily sclerotized, extending to mid-point of valve, base 0.65 × as wide as valve tapering to 0.3 × as wide as valve near origin; modified rod-like clasper extending laterally from end of sacculus posterior and parallel to posterior margin of valve, tapering gradually from base to acute upturned tip. Distal valve lacking digitus, expanded cucullus, or corona, inner surface covered with innumerable fine setae distal to mid-portion. Aedeagus unusual, with very short basal segment divided at apex into two very long and narrow processes, longer distal portion identified as true aedeagus by small vesica at tip approximately 6 × as long as base, arched strongly ventrad near base and becoming gradually straighter toward apex, total arc 180°; proximal process similar but shorter and more strongly arched, approximately 0.65 × as long as distal aedeagus, with slightly bulbous tip. Vesica membranous, minute. Female genitalia - Ovipositor lobes pad-like, covered sparsely with long and short fine setae. Abdominal segment VIII 0.75 × as long as wide; anterior apophysis 0.85 × as long as segment VIII, and posterior apophysis slightly shorter. Ostium bursae lightly sclerotized, ventral margin narrow and V-shaped. Ductus bursae sclerotized, very narrow, sinuous and crenulate, difficult to measure when mounted. Corpus bursae membranous, delicate, slightly ovoid (collapsed in figure), approximately 2.5 × as long as segment VIII, ductus seminalis joining posterior portion near junction with ductus bursae.

Distribution and biology.

Eudryas brevipennis bonneville occurs near large rivers and lakes in the northern Intermountain Region. Most specimens have been collected near the Snake River in south-central Idaho.

The moth flies during late spring and summer and has been collected from late May through early August. The early stages are unknown. California populations of Eudryas brevipennis feed on the willowherb Epilobium ciliatum Raf. and evening primroses ( Oenothera spp.) ( Comstock and Dammers 1938), all in the evening primrose family ( Onagraceae ). It is likely that Eudryas brevipennis bonneville utilizes similar plants in this family.

Remarks.

Eudryas brevipennis , including the Utah populations, is considered to be conspecific with Eudrya unio by Poole on the website Nearctica.com. These taxa differ in the structure of the genitalia of both sexes indicating that they are distinct species.

The identical male and female genitalia of the California and Intermountain populations of Eudryas brevipennis suggest strongly that they are the same species despite the differences in wing pattern and the 700 kilometer gap that separates them. A single specimen from Modesto, California in the CNC resembles subspecies bonneville more than other California populations. Eudryas should be sought in riparian habitats in the area between California and the range of Eudryas brevipennis bonneville to see if this subspecies has a larger range than is known currently. There is no barcode data for either subspecies of Eudryas brevipennis .

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Noctuidae

Genus

Eudryas