Panthea judyae Anweiler, 2009

Anweiler, Gary G., 2009, Revision of the New World Panthea Hübner (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) with descriptions of 5 new species and 2 new subspecies, ZooKeys 9 (9), pp. 97-134 : 106-107

Panthea judyae Anweiler , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:77024DF7-A3FD-4FB4-850F-E2B6E54E11F9

Figs. 4-5 , 46 , 59 , 69

Type material. Holotype male: “USA [ United States of America]: NEW MEXICO: / Socorro Co. [County]. Cibola N. F. [ National Forest ]. / pine forest, elev. 7620' / 33° 55.1' N 107° 36.9' W / 28 July 1991 / Eric H. Metzler ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Panthea judyae / G.G. Anweiler ” [red label]; “Moths of AB & BC / Barcode Voucher / G.G. Anweiler ” [pink label]; “ UASM 99688 ”; deposited in CNC . Paratypes: 8 ♁, 2 ♀. United States. New Mexico: same data as holotype, 1 ♀ ; Grant Co., Gila National Forest . at Emory Pass, Eric Metzler (2 ♁) ; Grant County., Big Burro Mountains , Gila National Forest , Tyrone Rd. 3 mi. west of Hwy. 90 (13 mi. SSW Silver City), 32°37.10'N, 108° 24.34' W, 6300', 12.viii.2001, at MV light in Ponerosa Pine forest , D. Lawrie (2 ♁) ; Pinos Altos (above Silver City ), 1981 m. el., 14.viii.1987, Ron Leuschner, coll. (1 ♁) ; Arizona: Cochise Co., Huachuca Mountains, Copper Canyon , 1829 m, 30.vii.2000, B. Walsh, coll. (1 ♁, 1 ♀). ( CNC; USNM; LACM; UASM) .

Additional material examined. 4 ♁, 1 ♀ from northern Mexico that are slightly larger and darker than the type material and have been excluded from the type series. Two additional male specimens from Arizona missing abdomens are also excluded: Mexico: Chihuahua, Sierra de la Catarina, 18 road miles southwest Buenaventura , 2408 m. el., 21.viii.1976, J.P. & K.E. Donahue, coll. (1 ♁) ; Sierra de Choreachic Microwave Station on Hwy. 16, 14 road miles west Cuauhtemoc , 2316m, 22.viii.1976, J.P. and K.E. Donahue, coll. (1 ♁) ; Creel , 13.vii.1968, T. McCabe, coll. (1 ♀) ; same locality and coll., 11.viii.1969 (1 ♁) and 8.viii.1969 (1 ♁). United States: Arizona, Cochise Co., Huachuca Mountains, Sunnyside , 9.vii.1958, Lloyd Martin, coll. (2 ♁) .

Etymology. I take pleasure in naming this moth after my wife, Judy Weisgarber, in appreciation for her patience and support in her role as “moth widow.”

Diagnosis. The combination of small size (male FW length 16-19.5 mm; female 22 mm) and white hindwing will separate P. judyae from all other Panthea except P. apanthea . The more complete and strongly contrasting black lines on the forewing and the massive sterigma and prominent uncus will separate P. judyae from P. apanthea .

Description. Sexually dimorphic, female significantly larger and with darker hindwing than male; forewing length of male 17-19 mm, female 21-22 mm; male with bipectinate antenna, female with simple antenna. Head – male antenna with pectinations 1.5 x as long as width of antennal shaft; palps reduced, clothed in dark gray and black scales, frons light gray with scattered black hair-like scales. Thorax – collar and thorax a mixture of light-gray, dark-gray and black hair-like scales; tegulae with two oblique black stripes; legs densely covered with long brownish-black and gray hairs; tarsus banded light gray and black. Dorsal forewing – grizzled or powdery gray, produced by an even mixture of very pale-gray and dark brownish-black narrow scales; basal line indicated by a few black scales; antemedial line prominent, black, straight; medial line similar to antemedial line but angled slightly toward base between veins CuA2 and 1A+2A; postmedial line more oblique, angled toward base below vein M3, approaching or meeting medial line between veins CuA2 and 1A+2A before angling slightly distally before reaching lower margin; subterminal line erratic and mostly obsolete, marked with black from costa to near vein M1, then traceable by lighter scales bordering distal side; veins on outer third of wing lightly lined with dark scales; fringe dark brownish black with scattered white scales; reniform spot faintly indicated at end of cell by an oval or crescent of darker scales. Female forewing proportionally broader than male; color and markings as in male but slightly darker gray. Dorsal hindwing – male white with long gray hair along the inner margin and small patches of light-gray scales along leading edge, at cell, and forming an indistinct postmedial band ending in a gray patch where it meets margin at anal angle; veins lined with gray brown scales; terminal line narrow, brownish black; fringe white with scattered dark scales. Female hindwing darker than that of male, crossed by three broad, poorly defined gray bands with areas between bands mixed with scattered gray scales creating an overall gray tone hardly contrasting with forewing; fringe an even mix of dark and light scales, with white scales marking veins. Abdomen – with short, stiff brownish-gray scales, paler at joints and appearing slightly banded. Male genitalia – ( Fig. 46 ) valves simple in form, heavily sclerotized, cucullus rounded to a rough ragged terminus; clasper scoop-shaped with double bladelike arms, upper arm extending across valve to or just beyond upper margin, lower arm much shorter and buttressing upper arm; tegumen with two ear-like subuncal lobes; uncus with a wide base and raised crown ridge, tapering to a narrow, rounded terminus; aedeagus short, curving down and flaring into a plate-like extension on lower side, which appears to support inflated bulbous vesica that exits aedeagus ventrad at almost 90 degrees; vesica armed with a large slightly curved cornutus on right side near base and a similar but much smaller cornutus at apex; vesica tapering abruptly into a long narrow dorsally oriented ductus seminalis. Female genitalia – ( Fig. 59 ) papillae anales a pair of soft, curved bands clothed with sparse long hair; sterigma massive, heavily sclerotized, fused above ostium; ductus bursae short and very broad, thickly sclerotized for about ½ its length, slightly farther on right side, narrowing abruptly to neck of nonsclerotized thin-walled teardrop-shaped corpus bursae; bursa covered in rows of minute spicules visible under higher magnification; without signa.

Distribution and biology. Panthea judyae has been collected in the Mogollon and Big Burro Mountains of southwestern New Mexico, the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona, and the Sierra Madre Occidental of northern Mexico, at elevations of 1800-2400 m ( Fig. 69 ). Collection dates range from July 9-August 28. Two of the Arizona specimens were collected in Ponderosa pine forest.

Figures

Figures 1-11. Panthea adults 1. P. apanthea ♁ holotype, White Mountains, AZ, USA; 2. P. apanthea ♀, Coconino Co., AZ, USA; 3. P. reducta ♁ holotype, Pedemales N.P., DR; 4. P. judyae ♁, Grant Co., NM, USA; 5. P. judyae ♀, Cochise Co., AZ, USA; 6. P. gigantea ♁ neotype, Larimer Co., CO, USA; 7. P. gigantea ♀,Grant Co., NM, USA; 8. P. gigantea ♁, Durango, MEX; 9. P. gigantea ♀, Chihuahua, MEX; 10. P. guatemala ♁ holotype, San Lorenzo, GUA; 11. P. guatemala ♀, Oaxaca, MEX.

Figures 44-49. Panthea male genitalia 44. Lichnoptera decora, Queretero, MEX; 45. P. apanthea, El Paso Co., CO., USA; 46. P. judyae Grant Co., NM, USA; 47. P.reducta, Pedemales, DR; 48. P.gigantea, El Dorado Co., CA., USA, a. tip of uncus; 49. P. guatemala, Oaxaca MEX., a. tip of uncus, Oaxaca, b. tip of uncus, Chiapas, MEX.

Figures 58-68. Panthea female genitalia 58. P. apanthea, Coconino Co, AZ. USA; 59. P. judyae, Chihuahua, MEX; 60. P. gigantea, Chihuahua, MEX; 61. P. guatemala, Oaxaca, MEX; 62. P. virginarius, Missoula Co., MT., USA; 63. P.acronyctoides nigra, Teller Co., CO., USA;. 64. P. a. acronyctoides, Ashland Co., WI, USA; 65. P. f.furcilla, Windham Co., CT, USA; 66. P. f.furcilla-f. nigra intermediate, Dauphin Co., PA., USA; 67. P. furcilla australis, Whitfield Co., GA, USA; 68. Panthea greyi, Apache Co., AZ., USA.

Fig. 69. Distribution of examined specimens of P. virginarius, P. apanthea and P. judyae.