Tricholita ferrisi 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 : 102-104

Tricholita ferrisi Crabo & Lafontaine , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F53D45D8-5B93-4389-9780-5255EDFCA54C

Figs 135, 193. Map 24

Type Material. Holotype ♁. USA, Arizona, Cochise Co, Chiricahua Mts, Shaw Peak , Trail above Onion Saddle , 7630’, 31°56.01' N 109°15.79'W, 22 July 2007, C. D. Ferris. CNC . Paratypes 4 ♁. USA, Arizona. Same data as holotype (3 ♁) ; Cochise Co, Huachuca Mts, Ash Canyon , 5170’, 31°23.17' N 110°14.28' W, 26 July 2007, C. D. Ferris (1 ♁). CDFC, CNC, LGC .

Etymology. We take pleasure in naming this species for Clifford Ferris who collected this species and recognized it as new.

Diagnosis. Tricholita ferrisi is easily distinguished from all Lasionycta species by the lack of a corona on the cucullus and the straight digitus. No other species of Tricholita in Arizona resembles T. ferrisi . It is most similar to Tricholita knudsoni but the forewing has more gray shading, the reniform spot is not as contrasting, the hindwing is much paler, and in the male genitalia the sacculus is shorter and more triangular, the ventral margin of the valve is notched subapically defining a weak cucullus, and the vesica lacks basal and medial diverticula.

Description. Known only from males. Head – Antenna of strongly bipectinate and fasciculate, 4.5 x as wide as central shaft. Dorsal antenna light gray. Scape white, dorsal tuft of scales at base of antenna white-tipped gray. Eye hairy, normal size. Palpus covered with light to dark gray-brown scales with a few white scales. Frons covered with hair-like dark gray-brown scales. Top of head with hair-like scales, most scales tri-colored white at base, dark gray-brown from mid-point to near apex, and white-tipped apically with a few entirely white; overall appearing medium gray brown. Thorax – Vestiture similar to top of head, or with dark gray brown part of scales replaced by grayish red brown posterior to prothoracic collar. Legs covered with dark-gray, light-tan, and white scales, some similar to white-tipped scales on head and thorax; tarsal segments dark gray, ringed distally with light tan. Wings – Forewing length 13 mm (expanse 28 mm). Forewing ground color a mixture of gray, gray brown to red brown, dark brown, and white scales; overall appearing slightly shiny gray brown to slightly reddish brown; subterminal area slightly lighter than remainder of wing; costa with four small patches of luteous scales distal to cell most evident with magnification. Basal, antemedial, and postmedial lines darker gray brown, variable in prominence. Basal line faint. Antemedial line most prominent below cell, slightly irregular and extended a short distance medially along vein 1A + 2A. Medial line faint and diffuse, most evident as an indistinct dark gray-brown smudge proximal to reniform spot and on costa. Postmedial line faintly scalloped on veins, weakly excurved opposite cell and then nearly straight at 45° to wing to posterior margin. Subterminal line darker gray, incomplete, forming a series of diffuse blackish-gray patches between veins. Terminal line absent. Spots gray brown, faint. Orbicular spot ovoid and small, filled with slightly lighter gray than ground color. Reniform spot upright oval, filled with pure white peripherally, light to dark gray centrally and on inner margin. Claviform spot absent. Fringe light gray, checkered with dark gray brown between veins. Ventral forewing pale whitish gray, scales luteous near anterior margin, suffused with light to dark gray. Costa mixed with light-yellow and dark gray-brown scales. Discal spot punctate to nearly absent. Postmedial line dark gray, diffuse, most prominent marking on wing. Terminal line complete, gray brown, faint to dark. Fringe mottled light gray to luteous gray proximally, darker and slightly checkered gray distally. Dorsal hindwing white with mild to moderate suffusion of dark-gray scales distal to discal spot near costa and more diffusely distal to postmedial line, overall appearing shiny slightly dusty whitish gray. Discal spot faint, thin, weakly chevron shaped. Postmedial line gray, faint and diffuse. Terminal line continuous, faint to dark gray brown. Fringe similar to ground color with scattered gray scales in proximal row. Ventral hindwing pale white suffused with light- to darkgray scales, especially anteriorly. Discal spot gray, relatively small and diffuse. Postmedial line dark gray, similar in color to ventral forewing postmedial line, sinuous. Terminal line thin, gray. Fringe white with scattered gray scales. Abdomen – Mixed light to medium gray-brown scales, a dorsal tuft on first segment comprised of white-tipped dark-gray scales. Male genitalia – (Fig. 193). Uncus with apical ⅔ dorsoventrally flattened, 3× as wide as cylindrical basal ⅓ with apex abruptly tapered to rounded bluntly-pointed apex. Valve 4.7× as long as wide, nearly even in width to base of digitus, then tapered abruptly on ventral margin to define a small cucullus lacking a corona. Sacculus 0.35× length of valve, costal lobe barely reaching dorsal margin of valve; postsaccular flap absent. Cucullus 0.46× valve width. Clasper C-shaped, similar to those of Lasionycta . Digitus relatively long, 1.7× valve width, nearly straight with sharply pointed tip, extending 45° to valve axis to apex of valve. Aedeagus cylindrical, 7× as long as wide. Vesica 2× as long as aedeagus, with 90° subbasal bend to left, then gently twisted to apex, four stout spine-like subbasal cornuti with bulbous bases; distal vesica without spines along wrinkled folding area, with a rounded apical diverticulum.

Distribution and biology. Lasionycta ferrisi is only known from Onion Saddle in the Chiricahua Mountains and Ash Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains of southwestern Arizona at elevations between 1575 and 2325 meters. All known specimens were collected by light trap in late July.

Table Ι. Lasionycta species arranged by geographical regions