Lasionycta haida Crabo & Lafontaine, 2009

Crabo, Lars & Lafontaine, Donald, 2009, A Revision of Lasionycta Aurivillius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) for North America and notes on Eurasian species, with descriptions of 17 new species, 6 new subspecies, a new genus, and two new species of Tricholita Grote, ZooKeys 30 (30), pp. 1-156 : 22-24

Lasionycta haida Crabo & Lafontaine , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A5B4DA69-7E14-49CD-88EF-B877B5A9A189

Figs 14, 15, 144. Map 4

Type material. Holotype ♁ (light form): [Canada], B[ritish] C[olumbia], Queen Charlotte Islands , Graham Id., SW of Dinan Bay, 2575’, 23 July 1987, J. F. G. Clarke, N. L. duPré [alpine tundra, black light]/ Database # CNC LEP 00053375 . USNM . Paratypes: 127 ♁. Canada, British Columbia. Same locality, date, and collectors as holotype (122 ♁) ; Same locality, date, and collectors as holotype / Databased for CNC, NOCTUOIDEA # 6437 , 6438 , 6439 , and 6440/ Barcodes of Life Project, University of Guelph, DNA # Noctuoidea 6437, 6438, 6439, and 6440 (4 ♁) ; Graham Island , 2 mi NE Dinan, 3100’, 11–12 Aug. 1988, J.F.G. Clarke and N.L. McIntyre (2 ♁). CNC, LGC, USNM .

Etymology. This species is named after the Haida people, the original inhabitants of the Queen Charlotte Islands. It is a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Lasionycta haida is similar to L. mutilata and replaces it on the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. Lasionycta haida is the only dimorphic Lasionycta with both gray and dark-brown forms. Th e gray form is similar to L. mutilata but can be told from it by its dark gray-brown ventral thorax (gray in L. mutilata ). In addition, the gray form of L. haida is browner than L. mutilata and its orbicular and reniform spots are smaller. In the distinctive brown form most of the forewing is dark gray brown with a greatly accentuated pattern due to persistent pale filling of lines and spots with luteous scales. The brown form cannot be confused with any other Lasionycta but resembles Psammopolia arietis (Grote) – until now included in Lasionycta (see Appendix) – that occurs on Queen Charlotte Island beaches. Th e male genitalia of P. arietis lack a digitus. Th e females of L. haida is unknown but is likely to be similar to that of L. mutilata , so they probably have pad-like ovipositors whereas those of P. arietis are long and pointed.

The CO1 sequences of L. haida and L. mutilata differ by 1.55 %. The two color forms of L. haida have identical sequences.

Description. Dimorphic with gray (light form) and dark-brown (dark form) forms. Gray form described first where differences exist. Female unknown. Head – Antenna of male weakly biserrate, appearing beadlike, 1.5× as wide as central shaft, dorsal segments white (light form) or dark gray proximally and tan distally (dark form). Scape white (light form) or tan (dark form). Eye rounded, normal size. Palpus dark brown gray, distal segment with light-gray scales (light form), or with few lighter scales (dark form). Frons covered in light-gray hair-like scales centrally and dark-gray scales laterally (light form), or just dark brownish-gray (dark form). Top of head cov- ered with white-tipped light-brown scales centrally and white scales laterally (light form), or with brown scales except for white scales above eye (dark form). Thorax – Vestiture a mixture of dark-brown and white-tipped dark-brown scales, appearing silver gray and dark gray (light form), or hoary dark brown and silver gray (dark form); anterior thorax behind prothoracic collar nearly black and venter dark brown gray in both forms. Prothoracic collar light gray (light form) or hoary gray (dark form). Legs dark brownish gray, distal tarsal segments white. Wings – Forewing length 16–17 mm (expanse 32–33 mm). Forewing ground a mixture of gray-brown, black, white, and pale-luteous scales with a mixture of medium-gray and dark gray-brown scales, appearing slightly shiny gray with black lines and spots (light form), or appearing dark gray brown with light-gray lines and spots (dark form); a patch of luteous scales in fold distal to claviform spot (both forms). Lines black, filled with whitish gray. Basal and antemedial lines uneven. Antemedial line zigzagged near posterior margin. Postmedial line faint, evident as dark shade near costa and in cell. Postmedial line deeply scalloped between veins. Subterminal line whitish gray, evident due to preceding chevrons (light form), or preceded by black chevrons between veins, distinct due to lighter filling (dark form). Spots black. Orbicular spot round to slightly oval, slightly lighter gray than ground color (light form), or filled with whitish gray peripherally and dark brown-gray scales centrally (dark form). Reniform spot moderately large, kidney to heart shaped, with similar filling to orbicular spot. Claviform spot prominent, filled with ground color, extending to midpoint between antemedial and postmedial lines in most specimens. Fringe checkered with ground color and white. Ventral forewing smooth smoky gray brown, darkest in dark form. Dorsal hindwing gray, slightly darker and browner in dark form. Discal spot, postmedial line, and broad indistinct marginal band slightly darker gray than ground color. Fringe light gray basally, white distally. Ventral hindwing light gray anteriorly and medium gray elsewhere (light form), or smoky gray brown (dark form). Discal spot dark gray, large, round to arrowhead shaped. Postmedial line dark gray, sinuous. Marginal band indistinct. Abdomen – Gray, slightly lighter distally; color similar to dorsal hindwing in both forms. Male genitalia – (Fig. 144). Uncus dorsoventrally flattened, mesial and distal part ovate. Valve 5× as long as wide, S-shaped with 40° bend distal to base of digitus. Sacculus relatively small, 1× length of valve width, costal lobes not reaching dorsal margin of valve. Cucullus large, triangular, separated from remainder of valve by a narrow neck 0.5× valve width and 0.33× cucullus width. Corona consisting of a single row of over 50 claw-like setae. Digitus a straight thin rod 1× valve width in length, oriented 45° to long axis of valve. Aedeagus 5× as long as wide, with small raised spinulose process extending onto base of right side of vesica. Vesica 1.8× aedeagus length, with a weak subbasal coil in proximal ½ and gradual twist over distal ½ extending to right of distal aedeagus, bearing 3–4 (N = 2) cone-shaped central spike-like subbasal cornuti on coiled part and a long field of many small stout cornuti oriented perpendicular to long axis on distal straight part.

Distribution and biology. Lasionycta haida is restricted to the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. Lasionycta haida is only known from males despite a series of over 120 specimens. Females of L. mutilata are commonly collected at light suggesting that L. haida females are flightless.

The 1987 collecting trip in which the most of the type series of this species was collected is recounted by Nancy L. duPré Clarke (1991). Although the identity of the moth is not discussed in the article, details such as “this expedition to 2575 feet on Graham Island” and “No sooner did we attach the light cords to the battery than we were bombarded by dozens of a single species of moth” leave little doubt that she is describing the collection of this species since over a hundred specimens were collected in a single night. Th e habitat is “well above tree line [with] sparse grasses and thick heather [covering] the nearly bare rock base.”

Ferguson (1987) described another endemic alpine Queen Charlotte Island moth, Xanthorhoe clarkeata Fgn. (Geometridae) , from material collected by J. F. G. Clarke in the mid 1980’s. Th e Queen Charlotte Island glacial refugium and its endemic insects are discussed in this paper.