Acontia toddi Ferris & Lafontaine, 2009

Ferris, Clifford & Lafontaine, Donald, 2009, Review of the Acontia areli group with descriptions of three new species (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Acontiinae), ZooKeys 9 (9), pp. 27-46 : 40-42

Acontia toddi Ferris & Lafontaine , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:42BCF866-8C33-41A0-A615-A06EF216009B

Figs. 1 , 8-10 , 19 , 25 , 31

Type material. Holotype ♁: Utah , Emery Co., San Rafael Reef area, 38° 39.2' N, 110° 43.1' W, 5500' (1675 m), 18-19 May, 1999, C. D. Ferris [ CNC, Ottawa, Canada] . Paratypes: 10 ♁, 13 ♀. UTAH: Beaver Co., Beaver, 6 mi E, 6300', D. F. Hardwick (2 ♀) ; Emery Co., San Rafael Reef area , 5300', 22 May, 2003 (1 ♁, 2 ♀), 15 May, 2007 (4 ♁, 4 ♀) ; Garfield Co., Star Springs, 36 mi S Hanksville, 6300', 27 Aug. 1971, D .

F. Hardwick (2 ♀); Juab Co., Callao , 29 July 1941, G. F. Knowlton & F. C. Harmston (1 ♁) ; Juab Co., Eureka , 16 July–21 Aug. 1911, Tom Spalding (4 ♁, 3 ♀). Paratypes deposited in CNC, USNM, and the personal collection of C. D. Ferris .

Other material examined and distribution (Fig. 31). 184 specimens not includ- ed in type series were examined (28 dissections). Arizona. Apache, Cochise, Coconino , Mohave , Pima , Pinal , and Yavapai cos .; Chiricahua, Huachuca, Hualupai, Santa Catalina, and White Mts. California. San Bernardino and Riverside cos .; Ivapah Mts.

Montana. Sweet Grass Co. Nevada. Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Lyon, and Nye cos. New Mexico. Chaves, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, and Otero cos. Oregon. Baker Co. Texas: Culberson, Jeff Davis cos., Davis Mts. Wyoming. Weston Co .; Black Hills. Mexico. Baja California Norte 29° 46' N 114° 46' W. April–August in dry forest clearings, desert canyons, riparian and reef areas from 2900–7600' (885-2320 m). Apparently two generations in some areas (e.g., Grant Co., New Mexico) .

Note. Material of this species was distributed by E. L. Todd under the unpublished manuscript name “ Acontia deserticola .”

Etymology. We take pleasure in naming this species in honor of the late E. L. Todd.

Diagnosis. DFW basal area nearly white in both sexes; dark brown distal area nearly uniformly brown with only a few scales of different color; orbicular spot nearly obsolete; reniform spot less prominent than in A. areli and A. geminocula , and without dark “pupil.”

Description. Adult male: Head – dark brown with a few whitish scales at antennal base; antenna filiform; palpus porrect, slightly longer than eye width, white basally, brown at tip. Thorax – prothoracic collar and thorax. Foreleg: brown, white-ringed in middle of tibia and at joints. Middle leg: femur and tibia white with brown rings

at joints; tarsi brown, white ringed at joints. Hindleg: femur white; tibia white with light brown shading at tibial-tarsal joint; first tarsal segment white shading to brown at joint with second segment; remaining tarsi brown, white-ringed at joints. Wings: male (FWL 10-13 mm). DFW: ground color white over basal half with two small very pale brown patches on costa and a few scattered pale brownish scales basad; outer half of wing brown with a few scattered small white and dark scale patches; prominent, ap-

proximately square, white preapical patch on costa; orbicular spot virtually obsolete, defined only by a few dark scales; reniform spot circular, filled with darker scales than background; terminal line a series of dark dashes; fringe basally brown, white at tips. DHW: luminous white, nearly hyaline, with pale brown marginal band; fringe white. Female (FWL 10-12 mm) – similar to male but DFW basal area with increased darker overscaling; DHW pale tan with pale brown marginal band. Male genitalia (Fig. 19) – uncus: long, slender, slightly swollen at mid-length, tapers to pointed tip. Valves: asymmetrical; right valve broad, tapering slightly toward apex with slight preapical concavity on dorsal margin; apex rounded with slight dorsal point; corona present but with fewer setae than in other species; clasper on ventral margin with triangular process near middle of dorsal margin, apex spine-like, extending around posteroventral angle of valve; right sacculus with apically spatulate extension; left valve similar but sacculus smaller and without posteror extension; clasper with broad, triangular, dorsal process near base. Aedeagus: similar to that of A. areli ; everted vesica membrane plum-shaped with large unarmed thumb-like dorsal diverticulum subbasally; two large, heavily sclerotized horn-like cornuti, one at base of diverticulum and one near middle of outer margin of vesica; apical part of vesica with two large fields of chitinized projections forming rasp-like patches with band of stouter spines along middle of each patch. Female genitalia ( Fig. 25 ) – ostium bursae funnel-like, tapering only slightly to junction with ductus bursae; ductus bursae tubular, lightly sclerotized, length about 0.6 × length of ovoid corpus bursae; spine-filled posterior pouch of corpus bursae to left of ductus.

Biology. Unknown. Adults April–August in dry forest clearings, desert canyons, riparian and reef areas from 2900-7600' (885-2320 m). Apparently two generations in some areas (e.g., Grant Co., New Mexico).

Figures

Figure 1. Diagnostic characters for separating the five Acontia areli group species found in the United States. The Mexican A. areletta is similar to A. areloides, but with an all white hindwing.

Figure 31. Acontia toddi distribution map.

Figures 2-16. Acontia areli group adults. 2-4. A. areli, 2 ♁, Catron Co., NM; 3 ♁, Grant Co., NM; 4 ♀, Grant Co., NM; 5-7. A. areloides, 5 ♁, Grant Co., NM; 6 ♁, Catron Co., NM; 7 ♀, Catron Co., NM. 8-10. A. toddi, 8 ♁, holotype, Emery Co., UT, 9 ♁, Yavapai Co., AZ, 10 ♀, Emery Co., UT. 11-13. A. geminocula, 11 ♁, holotype, Yavapai Co., AZ; 12 ♁, Cochise Co., AZ; 13 ♀, Pima Co., AZ. 14-15. A. albifusa, 14 ♁, holotype, Pima Co., AZ, 15 ♀, Pima Co., AZ. 16. A. areletta ♁, San Jacinto, Mexico.

Figures 17-19. Acontia areli group male genitalia (left – ventral; right – lateral). 17 A. areli, 18 A. areloides, 19 A. toddi.

Figures 23-27. Acontia areli group female genitalia. 23 A. areli, 24 A. areloides, 25 A. toddi, 26 A. geminocula, (26a ventral; 26b lateral), 27 A. albifusa.