Resapamea angelika 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 : 101-103

Resapamea angelika Crabo sp. n. Figs 15, 40

Type material.

Holotype Male. USA, Nevada, Elko County, Angel Lake (S side), SW of Wells, light trap, 1-2.VIII.2003, James K. & Eleaner Adams leg./ Database # CNC LEP 00094166. CNC. Paratype Female. USA, Nevada, Elko County, Rt 231, 11 mi SW Wells [Angel Lake], 23 July 2001, J. Troubridge/CNCNoctuoidea6305. JTT.

Etymology.

The name is derived from the type locality at Angel Lake, Nevada.

Diagnosis.

Resapamea angelika is a distinctive Resapamea species due to the combination of large size, even dark red-brown forewing color, small or absent orbicular spot, and narrow reniform spot with well-demarcated thin black outline and prominent cream to light orange filling. It is most likely to be confused with Resapamea passer (Figs 12-14) and Resapamea innota (Smith) (Fig. 16). Resapamea passer is variable, usually brown or mottled tan and brown, but is not dark red brown like Resapamea angelika . Resapamea innota has red-brown or orange-brown forewings and could potentially be confused with Resapamea angelika on this basis. Its orbicular spot is similar to the reniform spot, not very small or absent as in Resapamea angelika , and the reniform spot is broader, lacks a black outline and is filled with uniform light ochre, unlike that of Resapamea angelika . The dorsal hindwing of Resapamea innota is darker gray than in Resapamea angelika . Resapamea angelika appears to be a significantly larger moth (FW length 19 mm) compared to Resapamea innota (FW length 14-17 mm).

The male genitalia of Resapamea angelika are similar to those of Resapamea passer (Fig. 39). Based on the holotype, Resapamea angelika has a slightly broader distal uncus, a more V-shaped inferior juxta, and a larger and more angular basal saccular process. In the vesica, the ridge of spines with a sclerotized base ( cock’s comb) adorning a ventral diverticulum is smaller than in Resapamea passer .

Description.

Head - Antenna of male nearly filiform with slight constriction at base of each segment, covered ventrally by short cilia. Antenna of female filiform. Eye round, naked. Labial palp covered by short flat scales on sides, elongating to form a brush-like ventral fringe. Frons smooth, covered by narrow red-brown scales. Top of head covered by long and narrow red-brown scales. Thorax - Vestiture of collar, thorax, and tegula similar, a mixture of long, narrow, apically notched red-brown-tipped tan and red-brown scales, appearing even dark red brown, weakly tufted. Legs even gray brown, with three rows of spiniform setae on basitarsus and four irregular rows on other tarsal segments. Wings - Forewing length: male 19 mm. Forewing with a mixture of red-brown and gray-brown scales, ground color appearing even dark red brown, minimally darker in basal, medial and terminal areas; veins brownish gray, especially along radial and cubital veins, but not contrasting. Basal line absent. Antemedial line single, dark red brown, faint, ill-defined and incomplete, most evident on costa, in cell, and in fold, slightly offset toward base on costa and nearly transversely-oriented elsewhere. Postmedial line similar but more diffuse, oriented at 45° angle to wing from near end of cell to posterior margin, obsolete near costa. Subterminal line absent, its position in paratype indicated by a faint dark spot on costa in distal subterminal area and in holotype by proximal margin of darker terminal area. Terminal line thin, black, slightly thicker between veins. Orbicular spots small, oval, very faint in holotype, partially outlined in thin black bordered internally by cream, and filled centrally with ground color in paratype. Reniform spot moderate sized, narrowly kidney shaped, posterior portion partially fused to cubital vein in holotype, extending slightly posterior to vein in paratype, partially outlined by a thin black line strongest medially and absent anteriorly, filled peripherally with light whitish cream to light orange and containing a central or medially-positioned ground-color lunule. Claviform spot small, absent in holotype specimen and a small black smudge in paratype. Fringe brown gray with gray-orange base and darker gray medial line. Dorsal hindwing light gray orange to light fuscous, minimally darker and grayer on distal half, with slightly darker gray ill-defined narrow discal spot, veins, and terminal line. Hindwing fringe pinkish red brown with a light yellow-tan base. Abdomen - medium-dark brown-gray with slight red tint, especially posteriorly. Male genitalia - Uncus cylindrical at base, evenly downcurved, distal portion slightly dorsoventrally flattened and tapering to a fine point. Tegumen with large penicillus lobes. Juxta shield shaped, 0.5 × as high as wide, with V-shaped ventral margin. Valve weakly S-shaped, 5 × as long as wide (measured at mid-portion), tapering slightly from base to neck of cucullus; clavus large, reaching base of costa, rectangular with concave medial contour and angular apex. Sacculus reaching two-thirds of distance toward costa and extending distally to mid-valve. Clasper a smooth ridge. Ampulla short, nearly spherical. Digitus a weak ridge with a weak triangular projection, partially covered by medial cucullus. Cucullus well developed with rounded apical and slightly pointed anal ends, 1.65 × as wide as mid-valve; mesial surface covered by fine setae; corona an irregular row of stout curved setae, row partially double on dorsal half. Aedeagus tubular, 4.5 × as long as wide, with granulose patch on ventral aspect at base of vesica. Vesica 0.65 × as long as aedeagus, bent 135° toward right at base to project anteriorly and toward right, basal half bulbous, distal half tubular, with several diverticula and cornuti: weakly bulging subbasal diverticulum on ventral surface with sclerotized apex with a cock’s-comb row of short spines oriented along aedeagus axis and projecting ventrad; a membranous conical apical diverticulum on ventral vesica projecting anteriorly and toward right; a medial proximally-angled spike-like cornutus arising from a button-like base; and a subapical patch of short variable-sized spine-like cornuti directed basad. Female genitalia - Not available.

Distribution and biology.

This species is only known from the vicinity of Angel Lake in the East Humboldt Range of northeastern Nevada. The habitat is sedge meadows along tributaries of Angel Creek. These meadows appear to lack Rumex but harbor dense stands of an iris ( Iris spp., Iridaceae ) which might be the larval foodplant. The early stages of Resapamea angelika are unknown. The few known specimens have been collected during late July and early August.

Remarks.

The CO1 sequence of the female paratype differs from those of all other North American Resapamea , including Resapamea passer and Resapamea innota ,by over 3.4%.

The holotypes of Luperina innota Smith, type locality Wyoming, Yellowstone Park, and Luperina enargia Barnes & Benjamin, type locality California, Tulare County, Monachee Meadows, were examined from photographs to ensure that neither name is referable to Resapamea angelika . These specimens are superficially very similar to each other and may represent the same species. Somewhat variable Resapamea populations resembling these types are found at mid-elevations in a large portion of the western United States and require further study to determine the number of species that are involved. Because of this, we feel that it is premature to consider Resapamea innota and Resapamea enargia to be synonyms.