Aseptis harpi Crabo & Mustelin

Crabo, Lars G., Hammond, Paul C., Mustelin, Tomas & Wikle, David L., 2018, Six new species and one new subspecies of noctuid moths from western United States of America and Mexico (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), ZooKeys 788, pp. 201-239 : 219-223

Aseptis harpi Crabo & Mustelin sp. n. Figs 32, 35, 38, 48

Type locality.

USA, Utah, San Juan County, 1.6 km north of Bluff, 1336 m.

Type material.

Holotype. Male. [USA], Utah, San Juan County, 37.2940°N - 109.5656°W, 1 mi. [1.6 km] N Bluff, W. 3rd St. above Cottonwood Crk., Ericameria / Atriplex hab[itat], 13 May, 2016, 4382' [1336 m.] elev., Chuck Harp / Specimen ID CNCLEP00140353 / Barcodes of Life Project, Leg removed, DNA extracted. CNC. Paratypes. 14 males. USA: Utah, Emery County: NW of Goblin Valley S[tate] P[ark], San Rafael Desert, 15-16 V 2007, at uv trap, pinyon-juniper desert shrub, 5300' [1615 m] elev., 38.6677°, -110.6293°, Chuck Harp leg. (1 m); Garfield County: Capitol Reef N[ational] P[ark], Pickaboo R[a]ng[e]r. St[atio]n., 2 VI 1994, M[ercury] V[apor]L[ight], P. A. Opler [leg.], / [CNC] Slide male No. 11,942 / Specimen ID CNCLEP00140316 / Barcodes of Life Project, Leg removed, DNA extracted (1 m); San Juan County: same locality, date, & collector as holotype / Specimen ID CNCLEP00140354 / Barcodes of Life Project, Leg removed, DNA extracted (1 m); same locality, date, & collector as holotype (8 m); same locality & collector as holotype, 22-23 V 2017, taken at blacklight, blackbrush/ Ericameria / Atriplex (5 m, 1 f). CH, CNC, CSUC, DNHC, LGC, TM.

Differential diagnosis.

Aseptis harpi (Figure 32) is most likely to be confused with Aseptis serrula (Barnes and McDunnough, 1918) (Figure 33) and Aseptis susquesa (Smith, 1908) (Figure 34). Both of these similar species are from the deserts of southern California, southern Nevada, and Arizona. Although neither species is known currently from Utah, they could potentially occur with A. harpi near the Arizona-Utah border.

DNA barcodes suggest that A. serrula is the closest relative to A. harpi . Males are distinguished easily because the antenna of A. harpi is filiform, whereas that of A. serrula is serrate. Aseptis harpi has a lighter, more mottled, and more colorful forewing than A. serrula , with patches of pale gray and orange tan rather than powdery dark gray. The hindwing of A. harpi is gray distal to the postmedial line, whereas the entire hindwing of A. serrula is whitish.

Superficially, Aseptis harpi most closely resembles Aseptis susquesa . Both species have narrow male antennae and forewings with patches of orange brown. The forewing spots and postmedial and subterminal lines of A. harpi are more sharply defined and conspicuous than in A. susquesa . Pale filling of the postmedial line and whitish “W” marks of the subterminal line on veins below the apex and on M3 and CuA1 are particularly prominent in A. harpi . Hindwing color differences between these species are similar to those between A. harpi and A. serrula .

The male genitalia of A. harpi (Figure 35), A. serrula (Figure 36), and A. susquesa (Figure 37) are similar. The angle between the digitus and the valve is narrower in A. harpi than in the others, approximately 30° in A. harpi compared to nearly 50° in the other species. The digitus of A. harpi extends a shorter distance below the valve than in the other species.

Females of can be identified by characters of the papillae anales. The papilla analis of Aseptis harpi (Figure 38) has a single short apical process and lacks long basal setae. That of Aseptis serrula (Figure 39) has a finger-like apical process with adjacent scale-like tubercles and a dense basal collar of long seta. Aseptis susquesa (Figure 40) lacks an apical process and has few very long setae at the base. The appendix bursae of A. harpi is longer than those of the other two species.

The barcode of A. harpi (BOLD:ADH0685; n = 2) differs from those of A. serrula and A. susquesa by approximately 5 %. Aseptis harpi and A. serrula form a sister pair closest to Aseptis catalina (Smith) on a similarity tree. Major haplotypes of other Aseptis species are listed in Mustelin and Crabo (2015: 59-60).

Description.

Adult. Males and females similar in habitus. Head. Antenna filiform, ventral male antenna densely setose; dorsal segments barred, scales gray, pale yellowish tan. Scape off-white. Eye normal. Haustellum normal. Labial palpus first and second segments similar, third segment short, porrect; scales short, off-white and gray. Frons smooth; scales strap-like, off-white on lower ⅔, mixed off-white and gray on dorsal ⅓, forming slight median ridge. Dorsal head scales longer, strap-like, mixed off-white and gray, sculpted weakly anteriorly and on vertex. Thorax. Dorsal scales longer and broader than on head, weakly spatulate, edges finely serrate, mixed tan, off-white, gray, glossy black; appearing powdery brownish tan with irregular dark and light bands on patagium and tegula, metathorax with weak dark tufts. Venter scales white and gray. Legs: Tibiae lacking spines, scales mixed gray, off-white, darker than venter; tarsi except apical segment with three irregular rows of spine-like setae, gray, off-white distally. Wings: Forewing: length 12.5-13.0 mm (males); 14.5 mm (female), length 2.25 × width, apex more pointed than in other Aseptis species, outer margin angled slightly on vein M3; dorsal scales three- and four-toothed, white, light yellow, tan, orange tan, light brown, dark brown, or black; appearing mottled gray brown with light orange brown postreniform patch and in fold near claviform stigma; veins thin, black, terminal R5, M1, M3, CuA1, A1+2 lined on each side with whitish scales; basal line a long dark spot on costa; antemedial line a dark spot on costa, pale posterior to cell, strongly convex on 1A+2A; medial line brown, indistinct, costa to reniform stigma; postmedial double, dark and light spots on costa, faint dark lines across postreniform patch, double dark lines with whitish filling from M3 to posterior margin, angled 45° distad from costa, bent 90° basad on M2 to posterior margin; subterminal line absent; terminal line black, absent at apex; fringe dark gray, base yellow, light checkering at veins; basal dash black, acute, to antemedial line; claviform stigma black, base broad, tip to distal medial area, acute, filling same as adjacent ground; orbicular stigma elongate, oval, thin, black, double, pale gray between lines, black centrally; reniform stigma medium sized, asymmetrically kidney-shaped, largest posteriorly, thin, black, double, filling between lines light gray basally, orange brown distally, center dull black. Hindwing: margin undulating, concave strongly M1-M3 and weakly CuA2-2A; dorsum light gray tan, darker fuscous distal to postmedial line except at inner margin; discal spot and postmedial line slightly darker gray, postmedial line indistinct, undulating; fringe orange brown, edge whitish. Abdomen. Male base with brush-like coremata and pockets; scales fuscous; weak median dorsal tufts on segments A1-A3. Male genitalia: Uncus slightly flattened at base, cylindrical distally, arced, acute tip hooked slightly downward. Tegumen with broad penicillus lobes. Juxta base broad, narrowing toward base of phallus, height 0.8 × width. Valve length 5.25 × width, strap-like, mid-portion slightly wider due to costa bulge; sacculus small, weak, 0.25 × valve length, 0.8 × width; clasper base weak, ampulla 1 × valve width, rod-like, apex blunt, origin at mesial mid-valve, base directed dorsad and 45° distad, arced with distal portion parallel to dorsal valve; digitus base near ampulla, directed distad and 30° caudal, length 0.9 × valve width, straight, narrow, acute, apex just caudal to valve margin; cucullus 1.75 × valve width, asymmetric, apex elongate, pointed bluntly, anal angle rounded, “neck” weak, corona single row of ~ 30 claw-like setae, longest near apex. Phallus cylindrical, length 4.5 × width. Vesica ~ 1.5 × phallus length, expanding gradually to 2 × width beyond mid-point, curved 180° to end ventral and slightly left of mid-phallus; sub-apex with broad dome-shaped diverticulum and prostrate, rodlike, basally-directed cornutus 0.5 × phallus length opposite diverticulum. Female genitalia: Papilla analis truncate, longest dorsally, very small tooth-like process at medial dorsal tip, sparse short hair-like setae densest on dorsum and apex, longest basally without dense “corona.” Posterior apophysis length 2.5 × segment A8; anterior apophysis 0.8 × posterior apophysis. Segment A8 length 0.67 × width, glabrous. Ostium bursae membranous, ventral lip sclerotized, band-like; ductus bursae length 4.5 × segment A8, tubular, posterior ⅔ membranous, anterior ⅓ sclerotized except membranous anterior ventral and right sides; corpus bursae 5 × segment A8 length, ovoid, width 0.6 × length, long signa evenly spaced on anterior, posterior, and lateral sides; appendix bursae length ~ 1 × corpus bursae length, narrower, projecting slightly leftward from origin dorsal to junction with ductus bursae, curved to end ventral and to left of ductus-corpus junction; ductus seminalis at anterior apex.

Etymology.

The eponym honors Chuck Harp of Littleton, Colorado who recognized this moth as an undescribed species and brought it to our attention. Most of the known specimens of this species have been collected by him.

Distribution and ecology.

Aseptis harpi has a limited range in eastern and southeastern Utah (Figure 48). It has been collected in the red rock country of Garfield, Grand, and San Juan counties. The habitat is shrub steppe. Collection dates are from May and early June.

The early stages are unknown. The larva is probably a climbing cutworm that feeds on woody shrubs based on the habits of other Aseptis species ( Mustelin and Crabo 2015).

Discussion.

The discovery of this species is a surprise to us since we revised Aseptis recently ( Mustelin and Crabo 2015). No new species were recognized at the time, although two new genera were described and the number of recognized species was reduced significantly.