Oncocnemis sala Mustelin

Mustelin, Tomas, 2006, Taxonomy of southern California Erebidae and Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) with descriptions of twenty one new species, Zootaxa 1278, pp. 1-47 : 13-14

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.273509
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6261526
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A287F8-FFE3-084D-450E-FCB76491FA2D
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Oncocnemis sala Mustelin
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Oncocnemis sala Mustelin , NEW SPECIES

Figs. 5 View FIGURES 1 – 21 , 30 View FIGURES 22 – 39 a, 30b, and 67

Type material. Holotype: Male, Mountain Pass Station, San Bernardino County, California, 28 May 1970, F. Sala . Paratypes: 40 specimens. San Bernardino County: Same locality and collector as holotype (1 male); San Bernardino Mountains, Coxey Meadow, 2130 m, 3 June 1986, F. Sala (1 male, 3 females); Keystone Canyon, New York Mountains, 2828 May 1994, J. P. & K. E. S. Donahue (17 specimens); Providence Mountains, 8 May 1937, C. Henne (1 male). Los Angeles County: Bob's Gap, Mojave Desert, 19 May 1971 (2 males), 28 May 1989 (2 males), 29 May 1968, R. H. Leuschner (1 male, 5 females), 29 May 1969, F. Sala (2 males, 4 females); Gruthers Creek, SW of Valyermo, 3 May 1964, C. Henne (1 male). Holotype and genitalic slide #256/TM deposited in SDNHM, paratypes in SDNHM, LACM, and the collections of F. Sala , R. Leuschner, and the author.

Etymology. I am pleased to name this species after Frank Sala , a pioneer lepidopterist in southern California, who collected the holotype and many of the paratypes.

Diagnosis. This is a member of the Oncocnemis major Grote, 1881 group and it differs from O. major and O. deserticola McDunnough, 1941 in having much less pronounced dark longitudinal stripes. Instead, the forewing is more uniformly pale gray with a thin black basal dash ( Fig. 5 View FIGURES 1 – 21 a), black on the cubital vein ( Fig. 5 View FIGURES 1 – 21 b), and very thin black stripes between veins in the subterminal area. The hindwing is white with dirty brown dusting along the outer margin, and the veins are brown. This species could be confused with O. major , but it flies in a different habitat. The two also differ in forewing shape, O. sala having a much more pointed forewing apex and straighter forewing outer margin than major and deserticola .

Description. Antenna filiform in both sexes; palpus covered with pale cream gray scales, intermixed with some black scales; eye naked; frons covered with pale gray hairs, and two transverse dark bands; prothoracic collar covered with pale ash gray scales and transverse black lines; thorax covered with pale gray hairlike scales; venter covered with cream colored hair; area behind eye darker; legs covered in pale cream gray hairs intermixed with some black scales; abdomen covered with pale cream short and flat scales, caudally intermixed with some brown scales; venter concolorous with dorsum; forewing ground color pale ash gray; long thin black basal dash, third to half length of forewing; cubital veins black; reniform, orbicular and claviform spots absent; antemedial, postmedial, and subterminal lines absent; outer 1/5 of wing with black streaks between veins; fringe pale cream gray, outwards nearly white; ventral side whitish basally, darkening gradually towards outer margin, ash gray along anterior edge and outer margin; discal spot absent. Hindwing creamy white darkening slightly towards outer margin; veins brown; fringe white with pale brown line; ventral side all whitish with a few brown scales anteriorly, discal spot absent. Male genitalia ( Figs. 30 View FIGURES 22 – 39 a and 30b): Valve length 3.95 mm, width at middle 1.1 mm, broadest at middle, outer margin convex, curving evenly; inner margin convex, curving dorsally before cucullus, width of cucullus 0.9 mm; clasper length 0.6 mm, Sshaped, larger than in O. major ; aedeagus length 3.9 mm, width 0.95 mm proximally, tapering to 0.7 mm, slightly bent; everted vesica approximately 7.5 mm long, width 1.3 mm at base, 1.1 mm at middle and 0.7 mm distally, curved gradually to right; proximal diverticula 0.5 x 0.4 mm; proximal half with small spines (0.5 mm), distal half with numerous large 1.5–1.7 mm spines, apically a patch of smaller spines, a solitary stout 0.5 mm spine at apex of vesica. Female genitalia ( Fig. 67 View FIGURES 63 – 79 ): Ovipositor rounded, numerous setae; posterior apophyses 3.5 mm long; anterior apophyses 2.5 mm; ductus bursae 2.3 mm long and 0.35 mm wide at narrowest constriction, weakly sclerotized, slowly widens at junction with corpus bursae; corpus bursae consists of two large oval sacks connected as an upsidedown V, left side (corpus bursae) smaller, 4.0 x 1.7 mm, with longitudinal stripes, right portion (perhaps corresponding to appendix bursae) larger, 6.3 x 2.5 mm, with distal fold before a bootshaped fundus.

Distribution and habitat. Oncocnemis sala occurs in the Mojave Desert of California, ranging into southwestern Nevada and perhaps western Arizona. In southern California, this species has been taken in the at Valyermo, Bob’s Gap, and Fort Irwin in Los Angeles County, and in the ranges of the eastern Mojave in San Bernardino County. The flight period is March–June, with most records from May.