Pseudohemihyalea ambigua (Strecker) Schmidt, 2009

Schmidt, Christian, 2009, Revision of the " Aemilia " ambigua (Strecker) species-group (Noctuidae, Arctiinae), ZooKeys 9 (9), pp. 63-78 : 70

Pseudohemihyalea ambigua (Strecker) , comb. n.

Figs. 1 , 6 , 11 , 16 , 21 , 25

Halisidota ambigua Strecker, 1878: 274 , pl. 9, fig. 7.

Seirarctia bolteri H. Edwards, 1885: 121 .

Type material. Halisidota ambigua : Male holotype [FMNH], not examined. Type locality: “ Colorado [ USA].” The male holotype is a badly damaged specimen with the abdomen, ventral thorax and head missing, although the wings are mostly intact, with the apex of the right forewing missing (J. Rawlins, pers. comm.) .

Seirarctia bolteri : Holotype [unknown], not examined. Type locality: “Las Vegas, N[ew]. Mex[ico]., 7000 feet [ USA].” The sex of the holotype is not indicated in the original description; the type is not among the Edwards type material in the AMNH (B. Vincent, pers. comm.). Given the distinctive original description and absence of species similar to P. ambigua in the USA, bolteri is retained as a junior synonym of ambigua .

Diagnosis. Pseudohemihyalea ambigua is very similar to P. syracosia externally, but the two can usually be separated without dissection by the slightly larger size, broader forewing striae ( Figs. 1 and 2 ) and more northerly distribution ( Fig. 25 ) of P. ambigua . Internally, both the saccular process (cf. Figs. 6 and 7) and uncus (cf. Figs. 11 and 12) are shorter and wider compared to P. syracosia (mean length to width ratio of uncus 1.9 in P. ambigua , 2.4 in P. syracosia ). The coecum of the aedeagus is longer and more conical in P. ambigua (cf. Figs. 16 and 17). In females, the antevaginal plate is less flared laterally with a shallower distal indentation compared to P. syracosia (cf. Figs. 21 and 23).

Biology and distribution. Collection dates indicate the peak flight is in July, with extreme dates ranging from mid June to early August, presumably representing a single annual brood. Pseudohemihyalea ambigua is the most widespread of the ambigua - group, occurring from southern Wyoming ( Ferguson et al. 2000) to Durango, Mexico ( Fig. 25 ). Ferguson et al. (2000) show P. ambigua as occurring in Tamaulipas, Mexico, but no specimens from Tamaulipas could be located and their record may refer to another species, possibly P. potosi .

Figures

Figure 25. Distribution of examined specimens of Pseudohemihyalea.

Figures 1-5. 1a. P. ambigua male (Santa Cruz Co., AZ, USA). 1b. P. ambigua female (Cochise Co., AZ, USA). 2a. P. syracosia male (Zacapa Dpto., Guatemala). 2b. P. syracosia female (Chiapas, Mexico). 3a. P. fallaciosa male (Chiapas, Mexico). 3b. P. fallaciosa female (Zacapa Dpto., Guatemala). 4a. P. sonorosa male paratype (Sonora, Mexico). 4b. P. sonorosa female paratype (Sonora, Mexico). 5. P. potosi male holotype (Nuevo Leon, Mexico).

Figures 6-10. 6. P. ambigua, right lateral view of male genital capsule, aedeagus removed. 7. P. syracosia, lateral view of right valve. 8. P. fallaciosa, lateral view of right valve. 9. P. sonorosa, lateral view of right valve. 10. P. potosi, lateral view of right valve.

Figures 11-15. Dorsal view of uncus (setae omitted). 11. P. ambigua. 12. P. syracosia. 13. P. fallaciosa. 14. P. potosi. 15. P. sonorosa.

Figures 16-20. Left lateral view of aedeagus, with fully inflated vesica. 16. P. ambigua. 17. P. syracosia. 18. P. fallaciosa. 19. P. potosi. 20. P. sonorosa.

Figures 21-24. Ventral view of female 8th sternite and bursa copulatrix (corpus bursae on left, bulla seminalis on right). 21. P. ambigua. 22. P. sonorosa. 23. P. syracosia. 24. P. fallaciosa.