Aseptis fumosa (Grote, 1879)

Mustelin, Tomas & Crabo, Lars G., 2015, Revision of the genus Aseptis McDunnough (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Xylenini) with a description of two new genera, Paraseptis and Viridiseptis, ZooKeys 527, pp. 57-102 : 75-76

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Noctuidae

Aseptis fumosa (Grote, 1879) Figs 43, 44, 71, 87

Hadena fumosa Grote, 1879: 205.

Type material.

Holotype female [BMNH, photograph examined]. Type Locality: Colorado.

Diagnosis.

A medium-sized Aseptis , wingspan 34.9 ± 1.5 mm (n=25; range 31.5-38 mm) with a very dark forewing and whitish hindwing with black veins in males and darker gray hindwing in females. The forewing is uniform smoky dark blackish brown with brown filling of the antemedial and postmedial lines that is most evident as dots on the costa. The weakly figure-eight shaped reniform spot, orbicular spot, and short claviform spot are black filled with ground color or slightly darker scales. The male hindwing is pearly gray distal to the spot that accentuates the vein asymmetry. The hindwing of the female is smoky dark with dark but less conspicuous veins.

The male genitalia of Aseptis fumosa are unique in several respects. The valve extends nearly 90° lateral from its support and is a simple strap with a narrow base, very weak sacculus, convex ventral mid-portion, and undifferentiated cucullus; the clasper is near the base with a short straight ampulla parallel to the costa, and the digitus is absent. The uncus is thin and cylindrical. The penicillus is weak with a pointed dorsal margin. The vesica is similar to that of Aseptis binotata but bears an additional thick-based thorn-like mesial cornutus.

The female has a papilla analis covered with short needle-like setae and sparse basal hairs. The corpus bursae is fairly short, 1.5 × as long as wide, with strong signa and the appendix bursae is box shaped and laterally compressed.

Aseptis fumosa males are distinctive due to the combination of blackish forewing and white hindwing with dark veins. Despite this, Aseptis fumosa is often confused with Aseptis perfumosa in collections. Females of both species have dark hindwings and are less easily separated. Aseptis fumosa is usually larger with a broader forewing and its spots, especially the claviform spot, are less prominent than in Aseptis perfumosa . Aseptis fumosa females can also be confused with dark species in the Aseptis fumeola species group such as Aseptis ethnica and Aseptis fanatica . The shapes of the bursae are distinctive. The blunt rounded appendix bursae of Aseptis fumosa distinguishes it from all of the look-alikes.

Distribution and biology.

Aseptis fumosa is widespread in western North America and is known from western Canada, Washington, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California. It occurs in a variety of diverse habitats including coast chaparral, dry conifer forest, and shrub steppe; it is not found in mesic forests. The flight begins in April or May and lasts to July. The larva is smooth green with a white subdorsal stripe and broad red and white lateral stripe ( Miller and Hammond 2003). It has been reared on Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC., Cercocarpus sp. and Adenostoma fasciculatum Hook. & Arn. (all Rosaceae ) ( Crumb 1956, Crabo et al. 2012). At higher altitudes in the Cascades and in southwestern Oregon it feeds on Ceanothus integerrimus Hook. & Arn. ( Rhamnaceae ) ( Miller and Hammond 2000).

Discussion.

The simple valve of Aseptis fumosa is similar to that of Aseptis characta . Both of them also have multiple cornuti on the vesica. Although these derived states of the valve suggest a close relationship, their female bursae differ in shape and that of Aseptis characta lacks signa.