Euxoa lafontainei Metzler & Forbes, 2009

Metzler, Eric, Bustos, David & Forbes, Gregory, 2009, The Lepidoptera of White Sands National Monument, Otero County, New Mexico, USA 1. Two new species of Noctuidae (Lepidoptera, Noctuinae, Agrotini), ZooKeys 9 (9), pp. 47-62 : 49-54

Euxoa lafontainei Metzler & Forbes , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:75E35369-23BC-4F23-AA1D-F44278BA8E4A

Figs. 1, 2 , 7 , 10 , 19 , 20

Type Material. Holotype: Male : USA: NM: Otero Co. White Sands Nat [ional] Mon [ument] interdunal/edge of dunes veg[etation] 106 o 11.32' W 32 o 45.72' W 4,000' 3 Jun 2008. WSNM9 Eric H. Metzler uv tr[a]p Accession #: WHSA – 00131. (USNM) Paratypes: 128 males and 46 females: USA, New Mexico: Otero County, White Sands National Monument (hereafter WSNM), 4004', 32 o 45'36.47" N 106 o 11'28.22" W, 11 Jun 2008, G. Forbes, interdune area with cottonwoods 2.3 mi SW Admin. Bldg., 15 w blacklight, Accession # WHSA – 00131. WSNM, Admin . Bldg., 4 Jun 2008, G. Forbes, Accession # WHSA – 00131. WSNM, 4006', storage area W of Big Pedestal Rd., 32 o 46'43.12" N 106 o 10'48.88" W, 26 Jun 2008, G. Forbes, 15w blacklight interdune area, Accession # WHSA – 00131. WSNM, 4006', storage area W of Big Pedestal Rd., 32 o 46'43.12" N 106 o 10'48.88" W, 30 May 2008, G. Forbes, 15w blacklight interdune area, Accession # WHSA – 00131. WSNM, 4002', ca 100 yards NE of end of Big Pedestal Rd. , 32 o 45'43.62" N 106 o 11'18.73" W, 30 May 2008, G. Forbes, Baccharis grassland W side of rd., Accession # WHSA – 00131. WSNM, 3999', 32 o 46' 46.60" N 106 o 10' 26.70" W, 11 Jun 2007, G. Forbes, UV/MV lights Admin Bldg gypsum soil Atriplex scrub. Accession # WHSA – 00131. NM: Otero Co. WSNM 3999' 32 deg 46' 46.60" N. 106 deg 10' 26.70" W 18 May 2007 G.S. Forbes. admin. bldg. gypsum soil Atriplex scrub. Accession # WHSA 00131. WSNM, 4000' 32 o 45' 44.33" N 106 o 11' 19.51" W 22 Jun 2007 G. Forbes. Gypsum grassland at end Big Pedestal Road. Accession # WHSA 00131. NM: Otero Co. WSNM interdunal vegetation 106 o 11.49' W 32 o 45.60' N 4,000' 3 Jun 2008. WSNM8 Eric H. Metzler uv trp Accession # WHSA 00131. NM: Otero Co. WSNM edge of dunes/basin 106 o 11.24' W 32 o 45.70' N 4,001' 11 Jun 2007 WSNM3 Eric H. Metzler Accession # WHSA 00131. USA: NM: Otero Co. WSNM interdunal vegetation 32 o 45.57' N 4,006' 106 o 11.59' W 11 Jun 2007 WHSA2 Eric H. Metzler Accession # WHSA 00131. USA: NM: Otero Co. WSNM Edge of dunes veg. 106 o 11.32' W 32 o 45.72' N 4,000' 3 Jun 2008 WSNM9 Eric H. Metzler uv trp Accession # WHSA 00131. NM: Otero Co. WSNM dunes no vegetation 32 o 45.78' N 4,014' 106 o 11.49' W gypsum 13 May 2007 Eric H. Metzler WSNM1 Accession # WHSA 00131. NM: Otero Co. WSNM edge of dunes veg 106 o 11.32' W 32 o 45.72' N 4,000' 3 Jun 2008 WSNM8 Eric H. Metzler uv trp Accession # WHSA 00131. NM: Otero Co. WSNM edge of dunes veg 106 o 11.32' W 32 o 45.72' N 4,000' 22 Jul 2008 WSNM8 Eric H. Metzler uv trp Accession # WHSA 00131. USA: NM: Otero Co. WSNM interdunal vegetation 32 o 45.57' N 4,006' 106 o 11.59' W 13 May 2007 WHSA2 Eric H. Metzler Accession # WHSA 00131. USA: NM: Otero Co. WSNM interdunal vegetation 106 o 11.49' W 32 o 45.60' N 4,000' 3 Jun 2008 WSNMB Eric H. Metzler uv trp Accession # WHSA 00131. USA: NM: Otero Co. WSNM dunes crest vegetation 106 o 11.42' W 32 o 45.67' N 4,014' 3 Jun 2008 WSNMC Eric H. Metzler uv trp Accession # WHSA 00131. USA: NM: Otero Co. WSNM edge of dunes/basin 32 o 45.70' N 4,001' 106 o 11.24' W 13 May 2007 WHSA3 Eric H. Metzler Accession

# WHSA 00131. USA: NM: Otero Co. WSNM 106 o 11.39' W 32 o 45.78' N 4014' 13 May 2007 Eric H. Metzler Accession # WHSA 00131. USA: NM: Otero Co. WSNM 106 o 11.59' W 32 o 45.57' N 4006' 11 Jun 2007 Eric H. Metzler Accession # WHSA 00131. Paratypes are deposited with NMSU, MSWB, MSU, EHM, UFL, CNC, BMNH, USNM, and WHSA .

Etymology. The specific epithet of this species, lafontainei , recognizes J. Donald Lafontaine’s contributions to the study of Euxoa . Don Lafontaine and Eric Metzler share a personal friendship going back to the late 1960s. We are pleased to name this species for Don Lafontaine.

Diagnosis. Euxoa lafontainei is a silky white moth. Some specimens are pure white whereas others show faint pale-gray traces of normal transverse noctuid markings. A few specimens have pale gray normal markings on a white ground color. A combination of four characteristics quickly distinguish Euxoa lafontainei from other species of Euxoa : 1) both sexes with reflective white forewings; 30 % of males (n =104) and 42 % of females (n = 26) have traces of faint pale gray normal transverse noctuid markings; 2) pure white hind wings; 3) adults fly in May, June, and July in the gypsum dune field in the Tularosa Basin of south central New Mexico; 4) the characters of the male genitalia place E. lafontainei in the subgenus Euxoa . Other species of Euxoa that fly in the dunes, E. misturata (Smith, 1890) and E. tronellus (Smith, 1903) , are both pale colored moths; E. misturata ( Fig. 3 ) has pale gray markings, and E. tronellus ( Fig. 4 ) is pale tan. Euxoa misturata and E. tronellus have more or less obvious reniform spots and dark gray in the subterminal area. Male genitalia are most like those of E. simulata McDunnough, 1946 ( Figs. 5 , 8 , 11), and female genitalia are most like E. medialis (Smith, [1888]) ( Figs. 6 , 9 , 12). The adults of E. simulata and E. medialis are dark in color.

In the Euxoa species key of Lafontaine (1987), E. lafontainei males key out to couplet 31, which gives a choice of right saccular extension 1.25 × longer than left one, versus right saccular extension less than 1.25 × as long as left one. In E. lafontainei the right saccular extension is 1.25 × the length of the left one, so both couplets 32 and 34 must be followed. Couplet 32 gives two options, neither of which could apply to the new species, so following couplet 34 is evident. Euxoa lafontainei then keys out to the Euxoa simulata group in couplet 46 and the group only includes Euxoa simulata . Euxoa lafontainei differs from E. simulata in the color of the adults. Females of E. lafontainei key out to the E. bostoniensis (Grote, 1874) group and not the E. simulata group because of the fine-tipped setae on the anal papillae. Within the E. bostoniensis group E. lafontainei keys out to E. medialis , but differs from E. medialis in the color of the adults.

Description. Adult male ( Fig. 1, 2 ): Head – frons rough, front closely scaled, white; vertex scales narrow strap-like, white, erect; labial palpus white; basal and medial segments with erect hair-like and strap-like scales, closely scaled laterally and mesally, longer scales form longer ragged fringe ventrally and shorter ragged fringe dorsally; apical segment angled anteriorly, closely scaled; haustellum coiled between labial palpi with more than four complete loops; antenna biserrate, dorsally white, closely scaled,

7a 8a 9a 7b 8b 9b 1 mm

ventrally naked, brown. Thorax – dorsum white, scales long white (rarely tipped with gray) hair-like or deeply forked apically, underside white, scales erect long white hairlike. Legs: coxa and femur white, closely scaled with long hair-like scales on ventral surface forming a shaggy fringe; fore tibia white, closely scaled, with stout setae on lateral margins; mid – and hind tibia white, closely scaled, shaggy long hair-like scales basally, tibial spurs white; tarsomeres dirty white. Fore wing: length 13-15 mm, mean 14 mm, n = 8. ground color white, reflective, normal noctuid transverse lines and spots usually absent; some specimens with scattered gray scales ( Fig. 2 ), rarely the gray scaling complete enough to form normal noctuid transverse lines, spots, and fringe; subterminal and terminal areas dirty white; fringe shining white, occasionally with gray and dirty white scales; underside white with dirty white costa; fringe shining white. Hind wing: white, reflective, terminal area dirty white, veins lined with dirty white scales; fringe white; underside white, terminal area dirty white, veins lined with dirty white scales; fringe white. Abdomen – dorsum closely scaled, white, overlaid with long shaggy hairlike scales, white to dirty white; underside closely scaled, white. Genitalia ( Fig. 7 )

– tegumen not expanded laterally, lateral lobes at junctures with valvae, narrowed at dorsum; uncus cylindrical, narrowed at base, slightly wider from 1/5 length to 3/4 length, setae on dorsum at widest part, long and dense; preapical setae on ventral surface short, stout, cylindrical; saccus V shaped, slightly longer than wide; juxta oval, narrowly cleft from posterior margin; valve strap-like, costal margin slightly longer that ventral margin; saccular extension on right side 1.25 × length of saccular extension on left side; saccular extensions directed down and away from cucullus; clasper (harpe) slightly flattened distally, lightly setose, C shaped; corona well differentiated, 16-19 stout setae in a single row, directed basad. Aedeagus slightly bent at mid-point, 4-5 × as long as wide; vesica lightly sclerotized, at 1/3 length from aedeagus curved right 90 o, subbasal and medial diverticula present.

Adult female – similar to male; fore wing: length 13-17 mm, mean 15 mm, n = 24. Antenna filiform. Genitalia (Fig. 10) – papilla analis sclerotized, cylindrical, conical, setae on distal 1/3 progressively shorter apically, apex bluntly rounded, not fused; posterior apophysis extending anteriorly to anterior margin of 8 th abdominal segment; anterior apophysis shorter, extending to anterior margin of 8 th abdominal segment, slightly bent, apically flattened; ostium bursae lightly sclerotized; plates in dorsal and ventral walls of ductus bursa sclerotized, extending from ostium bursae anteriorly to 2/3 length, straight; bursa copulatrix bisaccate, membranous; corpus bursa extended to right, 2 × as long as maximum width, signa absent; appendix bursae extended ventrolaterally to left, size and shape similar to corpus bursa; ductus seminalis attached near ventral posterior end.

Remarks. This new species is placed in the genus Euxoa based on the structure of the male and female genitalia. The characters of the male genitalia place E. lafontainei in the subgenus Euxoa and in the E. simulata species-group.

Distribution and Biology. Euxoa lafontainei occurs in White Sands National Monument, Otero County, New Mexico (Figs. 19, 20). Adults were collected in black light traps and at a sheet with a black light and/or mercury vapor light placed in the white gypsum dunes, interdunal areas, and at the Administration Building. The immature stages are unknown.

Figures

Figures 1-6. Adults of Euxoa species. 1. E. lafontainei, male paratype. 2. E. lafontainei, male paratype. 3. E. misturata, male. 4. E. tronellus, female. 5. E. simulata, male. 6. E. medialis, male.

Figures 7-9. Male genitalia of Euxoa species: a-valves, b-aedeagus with vesica everted. 7. E. lafontainei paratype. 8. E. simulata. 9. E. medialis.

Figures 10-12. Female genitalia of Euxoa species. 10. E. lafontainei paratype. 11. E. simulata. 12. E. medialis.

Figures 19-20. 19. White dunes habitat of type locality of Euxoa lafontainei and Protogygia whitesandsensis. 20. Distribution map for Euxoa lafontainei and Protogygia whitesandsensis.