Euxoa apopsis Troubridge & Lafontaine, 2010

Lafontaine, Donald & Troubridge, James, 2010, Two new species of the Euxoa westermanni species-group from Canada (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae), ZooKeys 39 (39), pp. 255-262 : 259-261

Euxoa apopsis Troubridge & Lafontaine , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:546F2D15-D536-468D-8D5E-D3C254C7D09B

Figs 8, 9, 21, 26

Type material. Holotype ♁: Canada, British Columbia: Gott Peak , 7100’, 50°21'N 122°08'W, 12 July 1992, J. Troubridge [ CNC] . Paratypes 1♁, 1♀: same data as for holotype (1♁) ; British Columbia, Mt McLean , 7500’, 8 July 1921, A. W. Hanham (1♀) .

Etymology. The species name is a Greek noun used in apposition and means “a lofty spot,” in reference to the high elevation of the type locality.

Diagnosis. In the key to species of the Euxoa westermanni species-group in Lafontaine (1987) E. apopsis keys out to Euxoa macleani McDunnough. It differs from E. macleani (Figs 10–12, 22, 27) in having a more deeply biserrate male antenna, more extensive dark shading on the medial line of the forewing, a paler hindwing, thinner saccular extensions and a smaller subbasal diverticulum in the male genitalia, and a smaller appendix bursae in the female genitalia.

Description. Adult: Head – Frontal tubercle prominent and rounded; male antenna deeply biserrate, 2.0 × as wide as shaft (1.5 × as wide in E. macleani ); eye reduced, ellipsoid; vestiture of head and thorax mainly of dark gray hair-like and strap-like scales with some white scales and some white-tipped scales. Thorax – Legs: tibia with spiniform setae typical for Euxoa . Wings (both sexes); ground color gray with scattered white and dark-gray scales that give wing a grizzled look; basal area medium gray; medial area extensively shaded with dark gray; subterminal area pale gray with dark-gray streaks in outer part of subterminal area; terminal area similar in color to basal area; antemedial (am) and postmedial (pm) lines black with pale-gray shading proximal to

Figures Ι9–23. Euxoa male genitalia. Ι9 E. muldersi 20 E. churchillensis 2Ι E. apopsis 22 E. macleani 23 E. chimoensis .

am line and distal to pm line; reniform and orbicular spots paler than medial area but small and obscure; forewing length: 14–15 mm (14–18 mm in E. macleani ). Hindwing pale fuscous gray with darker veins and discal spot; fringe yellowish buff basally, white distally. Male genitalia – Similar to those of E. macleani in most details except saccular extensions thinner than ampulla of clasper (harpe) (stouter in E. macleani ); subbasal diverticulum in vesica shorter, 2.0 × as wide as aedeagus (2.5 × as wide in E. macleani ). Female genitalia – Similar to those of E. macleani but appendix bursae smaller, 0.5 × as long as corpus bursae (0.7 × as long in E. macleani ).

Distribution and biology. Euxoa apopsis is known only from high elevations in the mountains of southwestern British Columbia. Adults may be partially diurnal, which may explain why only two specimens were collected at the type locality in spite of many nights of collecting over a period of six years.

Figures 24–28. Euxoa female genitalia. 24 E. muldersi 25 E. churchillensis 26 E. apopsis 27 E. macleani 28 E. chimoensis .