Tetracis cachexiata Guenée

Ferris, Clifford D. & Schmidt, Christian, 2010, Revision of the North American Genera Tetracis Guenée and Synonymization of Synaxis Hulst with Descriptions of Three New Species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae), Zootaxa 2347, pp. 1-36 : 9-11

Tetracis cachexiata Guenée

( Figs. 16–18 , 88 , 103 , 119 , 134 )

Tetracis cachexiata Guenée, A., [1858] in Boisduval, J. B. A. de & Guenée, A., Histoire naturelle des insectes. Species général des lépidoptères, Paris, vol. 9:142. Holotype ♀, “ Nouvelle-Hollande ” [ Australia], incorrect locality, actually North America [MNHU].

T. lorata Grote, A. R., 1864 . Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia, 3:91. Syntypes ♂, ♀, Eastern and Middle States [ USA]. Location of types unknown. Note: After his death, the specimens in Grote’s collection were scattered and many were damaged or destroyed.

Diagnosis: Recognized by white or creamy-white wings, DFW transverse pale brown PM line, absent AM line and discal spot.

Description: Adults ( Figs. 16–18 ): FWL: 19–26 mm. Antenna (stated as prismatic by some authors) essentially filiform, ventrally minutely setose, thinner in females. Palpi, upcurved, short (about to horizontal midline of eye), tan scales on outer side, paler inward. Head, thorax, abdomen, legs, wings concolorous varying across individuals from white to creamy-white; tarsal spines brown. Wings: DFW with thin straight brown transverse PM line from apex to inner margin (sometimes indistinct) discal spot absent; DHW unmarked. Underside unmaculated. Male genitalia ( Figs. 88 , 103 ): Uncus decurved, slender, tapering to pointed apex. Gnathos with pair of robust upcuved spines projecting from dorso-caudal margin. Stubby furca from middle of anellus tapers to rounded apex. Valve broad, tapering slightly to rounded apex lacking an apical projection. Aedeagus with incomplete ring of widely-spaced spinules at posterior end at base of vesica; everted vesica elongate with expanded midsection on which is situated an oblong sclerotized plate containing short spinules. Female genitalia ( Fig. 119 ): A/P = 0.55. Very short, linearly sclerotized ductus bursae expands to join unsclerotized sack-like corpus bursae. Signum oval and strongly dentate.

Material examined: Numerous specimens, number not recorded; two dissections in addition to examination of genitalic illustrations in the literature.

Biology: Life history by Forbes (1948) and McGuffin (1987:84). Many recorded larval hosts, some of which are Alnus , Betula , Prunus , Salix , Tilia , Ulmus , Viburnum , Abies , Larix , Pinus , Tsuga . See also Heppner, 2003, p. 348. Adults May—early July, depending upon locality. A montane and piedmont species.

Distribution ( Fig. 134 ): Nova Scotia to central British Columbia, south to northern Florida, and west to Montana and northern Colorado. Specific province/state/county records are: CANADA: ALBERTA. East and south of Calgary and Red Deer to Saskatchewan and Montana border. MANITOBA. Duck Mtn. Prov. Park. QUEBEC. Numerous localities across southern Quebec were cited by Handfield (1999). UNITED STATES: ALABAMA. Clay, Cleburne, Dekalb, Jackson, Madison. ARKANSAS. Logan. COLORADO. Larimer. CONNECTICUT. New Haven. FLORIDA. Panhandle region ( Heppner, 2003). GEORGIA. Gilmer. Towns, Whitfield. ILLINOIS. Cook, McHenry, Putnam. INDIANA. Elkhart, Lagrange. KANSAS. Douglas, Pottawatomie. KENTUCKY. Grayson. MAINE. Hancock, Kennebec, Penobscot, Piscataquis. MARYLAND. Alleghany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Garrett, Harford, Kent, Prince George's. MASSACHUSETTS. Hampden, Norfolk. MICHIGAN. Baraga, Chippewa, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Keweenaw, Montcalm, Muskegon. MINNESOTA. Carver, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Lake, St. Louis. MISSISSIPPI. Oktibbeha, Tishomingo. MISSOURI. Clay. MONTANA. Lewis & Clark. NEBRASKA. Sioux. NEW HAMPSHIRE. Coos, Grafton, Sullivan. NEW YORK. Bronx, Kings, Nassau, Orleans, Rockland, Tompkins, Ulster. NORTH CAROLINA. Allegheny, Ashe, Avery, Carteret, Craven, Durham, Jones, Haywood, Macon, New Hanover, Swain. NORTH DAKOTA. Bottineau, Cass, Ransom, Rolette. OHIO. Adams, Athens, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Hamilton, Hocking, Lucas, Mahoning, Pickaway, Portage, Seneca, Vinton, Wayne. PENNSYLVANIA. Beaver, Bucks, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Mifflin, York. SOUTH CAROLINA. Greenville. SOUTH DAKOTA. Day. TENNESSEE. Blount, Cocke, Sevier, Sullivan. VERMONT. Chittenden, Windham. VIRGINIA. Arlington, Grayson, Rockingham, Smyth. WEST VIRGINIA. Pendleton. WISCONSIN. Adams, Brown, Florence, Iowa, Juneau, La Crosse, Manitowoc, Marquette, Menomonee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Sauk, Shawano, Sheboygan, Rock, Washburn, Waukesha, Waupaca.

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 26. Tetracis adults: 12 – 15. T. crocallata, 12. Penobscot Co., ME, 13 – 14. Lagrange Co., IL, 15. Elkhart Co., IN; 16 – 18. T. cachexiata, Elkhart Co., IN; 19 – 23. T. cervinaria, 19, 23. Franklin Co., ID, 20 – 22. Wallowa Co., OR; 24 – 26. T. australis, Los Angeles Co., CA, paratypes.

FIGURES 87 – 94. Tetracis male genitalia with aedeagus removed and aedeagus with vesica everted. 87. T. crocallata. 88. T. cachexiata. 89. T. cervinaria. 90. T. australis. 91. T. fuscata. 92. T. pallulata. 93. T. mosesiani. 94. T. j. jubararia. Aedeagus enlarged relative to remaining structures.

FIGURES 102 – 117. Tetracis male genitalia, domes of everted vesica. 102. T. crocallata. 103. T. cachexiata. 104. T. cervinaria. 105. T. australis. 106. T. fuscata. 107. T. pallulata. 108. T. mosesiani. 109. T. j. jubararia. 110. T. j. sericeata. 111. T. montanaria. 112. T. barnesii. 113. T. formosa. 114 – 115. T. hirsutaria. 116 – 117. T. pallidata.

FIGURES 118 – 124. Female genitalia with enlarged view of signa. 118. T. crocallata. 119. T. cachexiata. 120. T. cervinaria. 121. T. australis. 122. T. fuscata. 123. T. pallulata. 124. T. mosesiani.

FIGURES 133 – 134. Tetracis distribution maps. 133. T. crocallata. 134. T. cachexiata. Louisiana records from Vernon Antoine Brou, Jr.