Protorthodes eureka (Barnes & Benjamin, 1927)

Lafontaine, J. Donald, Walsh, J. Bruce & Ferris, Clifford D., 2014, A revision of the genus Protorthodes McDunnough with descriptions of a new genus and four new species (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Eriopygini), ZooKeys 421, pp. 139-179 : 145

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Noctuidae

Protorthodes eureka (Barnes & Benjamin, 1927) Figs 4-6, 56, 74; Map 2

Eriopyga eureka Barnes & Benjamin, 1927: 6.

Type material.

Eriopyga eureka : holotype ♂, examined, USNM. Type locality: USA, Utah, Eureka.

Diagnosis.

Adults of Protorthodes eureka can be recognized by relatively small size (forewing length: 11-13 mm), narrow forewings, and longitudinally-streaked pattern resulting from the dark-colored veins and lighter-brown color between the veins. A series of black sagittate spots is on the inner side of the almost straight subterminal line. The male antenna and male and female genitalia of Protorthodes eureka are similar to those of Protorthodes curtica , but the right clasper of Protorthodes eureka extends beyond the dorsal margin of the valve by about 1/3 of the length of the clasper, whereas in Protorthodes curtica it exceeds the dorsal margin of the valve by less than 1/5 of its length.

Distribution and biology.

Protorthodes eureka occurs from southern Alberta southward in the western Great Plains to Colorado and in the Great Basin to east-central California and southwestern Colorado. Adults occur mainly in open xeric, especially sagebrush prairie and open pinyon-juniper woodlands. Adults occur from early August until late September. The larva was described by Crumb (1956) and Godfrey (1972).