Moselia infuscata (Claassen)

Burton, David K., 2019, Distribution Of Moselia Infuscata (Claassen, 1923) (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) In Canada, Illiesia 15 (7), pp. 107-110 : 108-109

Moselia infuscata (Claassen)

Hairy Needlefly

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Plecoptera .speciesfile.org: TaxonName:431

Leuctra infuscata Claassen, 1923:262 . Holotype ♂ (Cornell University Collection), Seattle , Washington (Fig. 13 holotype ♂, Fig. 14♀)

Leuctra infuscata: Needham & Claassen, 1925:230 ., (Plate 43, Figs. 3, 5 holotype ♂, Fig 4♀)

Leuctra infuscata: Ricker 1939:22 .

Leuctra (Moselia) infuscata: Ricker, 1943:81 .

Moselia infuscata: Illies, 1966:112 .

Moselia infuscata: Ricker & Scudder 1975: 337 . Moselia infuscata: Stewart & Oswood 2006: 58 . Moselia infuscata: Stark & Harrison 2016: 262 .

Distribution: CAN: BC. USA: CA, OR, WA ( Stark & Harrison 2016, DeWalt et al. 2019).

Material Examined: CAN: BC. USA: CA, OR, WA.

Distribution Analysis: Examination of Canadian specimens of the genus Moselia from the CNCI, UOG and RBCM showed that all specimens were of the species M. infuscata . Specimens from Washington and Oregon in the CNCI were also confirmed as M. infuscata . Specimens from California previously identified as M. infuscata were found to be M. zonata based on the criteria Stark & Harrison (2016) used to separate the two species.

The BOLD database contains three Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) for Moselia . BIN BOLD:ACB0944 contains specimens from Washington State and British Columbia that were shown to be consistent with the species M. infuscata based on the criteria Stark & Harrison (2016) used to separate the two species. The other two Bins contain specimens of Moselia from California and were not available for study. However, the presence of a banded wing pattern in the photograph of the male specimen representing BIN BOLD:ACP2540 suggests that it is the species M. zonata . The specimen represented by BIN BOLD:ACP2547 lacks a banded wing pattern and is a female. The species determination for this BIN cannot be made at this time.

Stark and Harrison (2016) have shown that the distribution of M. infuscata is restricted in the United States to the Coastal Range of Oregon and Washington with one isolated population in the Sierra Nevada Range of California. Moselia zonata replaces M. infuscata in the Coastal Range of California, the Sierra Nevada Range of California and in scattered locations in Nevada ( Stark & Harrison 2016). Specimens in this study show that in Canada M. infuscata is restricted to the southwestern Coastal Range of British Columbia. Re-examination of a female specimen reported from Summit Lake, Alaska Highway ( Stewart & Oswood 2006) shows that it is a female of Perlomyia utahensis based on wing venation and sub-genital plate structure.

Additional collecting in the Coastal Range of British Columbia will be needed to determine the northern extent of the M. infuscata population in Canada.