Psammopolia arietis (Grote) Crabo & Lafontaine, 2009

Crabo, Lars & Lafontaine, Donald, 2009, A Revision of Lasionycta Aurivillius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) for North America and notes on Eurasian species, with descriptions of 17 new species, 6 new subspecies, a new genus, and two new species of Tricholita Grote, ZooKeys 30 (30), pp. 1-156 : 97-98

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.3897/zookeys.30.308

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C26E1A82-0DD4-48EF-865C-9D8AA788B739

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3790123

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/75513F41-7B11-FFB7-FF02-EB6A92C5FED2

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Psammopolia arietis (Grote)
status

comb. nov.

Psammopolia arietis (Grote) View in CoL , comb. n.

Figs 125, 126, 185, 240. Map 23

Mamestra arietis Grote, 1879: 207 .

Lasionycta arietis ; McDunnough 1938: 71.

Anarta etacta Smith, in Dyar 1900: 493 , syn. n.

Type material. Mamestra arietis : syntype ♁ [ BMNH, examined]. Type locality: California. Anarta etacta : holotype ♀ [ USNM, examined]. Type locality: Kukak Bay, [Aleutian Islands], Alaska.

Diagnosis. Psammopolia arietis is a relatively small (expanse <18 mm) gray species from the West Coast north of Mendocino, California. It occurs with P. wyatti and can be recognized from it by smaller size, darker gray color, and features of the spots. The orbicular spot of P. arietis is nearly round and it and the reniform spot are filled with pale gray peripheral and darker gray central scales. In P. wyatti , the orbicular spot is oval and it and the reniform spot are usually filled with whitish scales. The male genitalia of P. arietis resemble those of P. wyatti but are less massive with a less expanded ventral margin and smaller cucullus. Th e female corpus bursae of P. arietis is slightly shorter relative to the ductus bursae than that of P. wyatti (corpus/ductus = 1.75× for P. arietis ; 1.85–2.0× for P. wyatti ).

Distribution and biology. Psammopolia arietis occurs on Pacific Coast sand beaches from Mendocino, California to southwestern Alaska. It is absent from the inland Strait of Georgia. Adults are nocturnal and come to light. Specimens are from late July to early September.

Crumb (1956) and Godfrey (1972) described larvae from Newport, Oregon. It lives in sand dunes and feeds on Lathyrus littoralis (Nutt.) Endl. (Fabaceae) , Polygonum paronychia Cham. & Schltdl. (Polygonaceae) , Abronia latifolia Eschsch. (Nyctaginaceae) , and an unspecified grass ( Poaceae ). It has reduced prolegs with crochets.

USNM

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Noctuidae

Genus

Psammopolia

Loc

Psammopolia arietis (Grote)

Crabo, Lars & Lafontaine, Donald 2009
2009
Loc

Lasionycta arietis

McDunnough J 1938: 71
1938
Loc

Anarta etacta Smith, in Dyar 1900: 493

Dyar HG 1900: 493
1900
Loc

Mamestra arietis

Grote AR 1879: 207
1879
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