Paranthrene sogaardi Taft and Smith, 2024

Smith Iii, William H., Taft Jr, William H. & Cognato, Anthony I., 2024, A new species of Paranthrene Hübner (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) from the northern midwest United States, Insecta Mundi 2024 (51), pp. 1-9 : 4-8

Paranthrene sogaardi Taft and Smith , new species

Diagnosis. Paranthrene sogaardi new species differs from P. tabaniformis by its lack of scales in the discal cell of the forewing, a dark orange discal spot on the forewings, and uniform yellow bands along abdominal segments 2–7. Whereas the discal cell in the forewing of P. tabaniformis is covered in dark scales, without a discal spot, and has yellow bands only on abdominal segments 2, 4, 6 and 7. Concerning the male genitalia, the apical point of the valves of P. sogaardi n. sp. are more rounded than P. tabaniformis and the setae are denser at the base of the valves

C. laurelae BT 178 100 V. admiranda BT 204 1 V. admiranda BT 205 100 P. simulans BT 129 1 P. simulans BT 142 88 P. fenestrata BT 179 1 P. fenestrata BT 180 100 97 P. fenestrata BT 181 1 1 P. fenestrata BT 183 100 P. asilipennis BT 175 76 1 P. asilipennis BT 196. 9 P. tabaniformis BT 151 100 P. tabaniformis BT 152 1 P. tabaniformis BT 153 55. 67 P. tabaniformis BT 210 * P. tabaniformis BT 168 100 P. robiniae BT 148 99 1 P. robiniae BT 149 100.99 100 P. dollii BT 160. 61 1 P. dollii BT 161 P. sogaardi BT 154 P. sogaardi BT 155 100 P. sogaardi BT 211. 7 P. sogaardi BT 169 P. sogaardi BT 170

10 changes where setal density is relatively uniform along the valve margins in P. tabaniformis ( Fig. 3, 4 ). The distal end of the saccus in P. sogaardi new species is flattened and squared off, while the saccus in P. tabaniformis ends in a point. Both aedeagi have a sclerotized, toothed ridge ( Fig. 5, 6 ). In contrast, this ridge is covered by a semi-translucent shingle-like sclerite in P. tabaniformis , a feature absent in P. sogaardi . Paranthrene sogaardi new species superficially resembles several other species of North American Sesiidae , most notably Paranthrene pellucida Greenfield and Karandinos and Synanthedon rileyana Hy. Edwards. The following characters distinguish P. sogaardi new species from P. pellucida . The cell below the Cu vein to the anal margin in the forewing of P. sogaardi new species is covered in orange-brown scales, whereas the same cell in P. pellucida is without scales and transparent. The yellow bands on the abdomen of P. pellucida are thicker distally from the thorax while all bands are roughly equal in thickness on P. sogaardi new species.

Scaling on the wings also differs between P. sogaardi new species and S. rileyana . Paranthrene sogaardi new species has brown-black scales on the tips of the forewings and brown-black scales along the M vein in the hind wings. Synanthedon rileyana lacks scales in both the aforementioned areas. In addition, P. sogaardi new species has yellow tarsi while S. rileyana has black tarsi.

Description. Male ( Fig. 7, 8 ). Head: Vertex primarily flat black with fine light gray hair mixed near the base; frons light translucent pearl with a blue sheen, white laterally ( Fig. 9 ); occipital fringe straw yellow; labial palp strongly roughened, pale yellow with brown-black scales mixed laterally; haustellum coiled, antenna orange with a narrow line of brown-black dorsally. Thorax: Dorsum flat black with fine light gray hair-like setae mixed throughout, base of forewing surrounded by a yellow spot, mixed with pale white scales, a patch of yellow setae posterior to the cape (visible in lateral view, Fig. 8 ), yellow scales on the posterior and posterolateral margins of the metathorax. Legs with coxae flat black with bright yellow outer margins, femora dark brown-black; tibiae light orange-yellow with a small patch of brown-black setae medially covered by orange setae, tibial spurs, and tarsi light yellow-orange mixed with black setae. Forewing mostly hyaline with an outer brown-black margin, discal spot light orange with a light edging of brown scales around the margins; anal margin lined with orange and black scales; veins and fringe brown-black with pale yellow scales on outer margin between veins (often faded in older individuals). Hindwing hyaline with narrow margins; dark brown fringe transitions to pale yellow near the wing base. Abdomen: Brown-black with yellow bands encircling segments two-seven (the band width appears variable across its range); anal tuft short with a mix of black and yellow scales. Male genitalia: ( Fig. 3 ) Valves rounded apically, with setal density thickest toward the base. Socii with dense light-colored setae. Saccus ending in a flat squared-off tip.

Female. Unknown.

Host. Unknown, but all Paranthrene moth species bore into trees and large shrubs (i.e., oak, poplar, aspen, and willow species) as larvae.

Distribution. Known from Central Michigan and Minnesota. Additional images of specimens from western Quebec suggest that the range of P. sogaardi new species may extend into Quebec (iNaturalist.com). Because of the scattered locations of both collected specimens and images we suspect their range may include parts of Wisconsin and Ontario.

Types. Holotype: Male, Michigan: Clinton Co., Bath Township , Rose Lake State Game Area , Lat / Long (42.7988, −84.40185), July 2, 2022, Coll. William H. Taft, MSUC _ ARC _320053, deposited in the Albert J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection, Michigan State University, East Lansing ( MSUC). Michigan paratypes (2 males) and Minnesota paratypes (1 male) at MSUC and (3) in James Sogaard’s personal collection.

Etymology. The species is named for Mr. James Sogaard of Princeton, Minnesota who first captured and photographed a male specimen from the same area.

Remarks. In Michigan, the moth was collected in a wetland swale depression ( Fig. 10 .) characterized by willow thickets and shrub wetlands surrounded by oak uplands. The common plant species of the type location were quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx. ), northern red oak ( Quercus rubra L.), red maple ( Acer rubrum L.), sand bar willow ( Salix interior Rowlee ), heart-leaved willow ( Salix eriocephala Michx. ), black willow ( Salix nigra Marshall ), elm ( Ulmus sp. L.), gray dogwood ( Cornus racemose Lam. ), and a non-native plant—common buckthorn ( Rhamnus cathartica L.). The herbaceous plants were Joe-Pye weed ( Eutrochium purpureum L.), elderberry ( Sambucus canadensis L.), raspberry ( Rubus sp. L.), boneset ( Eupatorium perfoliatum L.), and cattail ( Typha latifolia L).

The EPA ecoregion designation for the type location in Michigan is the southern Michigan /North Indiana Drift Till Plains/ Lansing Loamy Plain with the mid-elevation forests and the foothills woodlands and shrub lands designation. In Minnesota, EPA ecoregion designation for the Princeton area is the Anoka Sand Plain and Mississippi Valley Outwash ( White 2020). It is characterized by substantial agriculture, but much of the region is too wet and poorly drained to be cultivated, so is left as natural wetlands ( Albert 1995).

Figures

Figures 3–6. Adult male genitalia. 3) Paranthrene sogaardi.new species 4) Paranthrene tabaniformis. 5) Paranthrene sogaardi new species aedeagus. 6) Paranthrene tabaniformis aedeagus.

Figures 7–10. Paranthrene sogaardi new species. 7) Dorsal view. 8) Lateral view. 9) Frons. 10) Michigan collection site of Paranthrene tabaniformis.