Tarachidia nigra Mustelin

Mustelin, Tomas, 2006, Taxonomy of southern California Erebidae and Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) with descriptions of twenty one new species, Zootaxa 1278, pp. 1-47 : 8-9

Tarachidia nigra Mustelin , NEW SPECIES

Figs. 2 and 27

Type material. Holotype: Male, Ventura County, Santa Susana Mountains, Tapo Canyon, on Encelia californica , 19 April 1939, L. M. Martin. Paratypes: 3 males and 2 females. Ventura County: Same locality as holotype (2 males, 2 females). San Diego County: Campo, Walker Ck. 9 May 1998, D. K. Faulkner (1 male). Holotype and genitalic slide 257# /TM deposited in LACM, paratypes in SDNHM, CNC, and the private collections of R. Leuschner and the author.

Etymology. The name nigra refers to the blackish color of this moth.

Diagnosis. This is one of the smallest southern California noctuids. The forewing is black with a greenish sheen and lacks conspicuous maculation; the hindwing is dark brown. This moth is identified incorrectly as Tarachidia tortricina fumata (Smith, 1905) in many collections. However, T. tortricina fumata is larger and has a smoky brown ground color, not black as in T. nigra .

Description. Antenna filiform in both sexes; eyes naked; palpus covered in gray scales; frons, patagium, tegula, and thorax dorsally covered in flat, black, shiny, scales; venter with flat, gray, shiny, scales; legs shiny dark gray; abdomen dorsally covered in flat, black, shiny, scales; tip of abdomen with brown hairs; venter shiny black; forewing shiny black, intermixed with shiny gray scales, blue or green iridescence at some angles; maculation absent, except for faint black postmedial line in some specimens; fringe concolorous; ventral side matte black, no iridescence; hindwing dark brown, no iridescence, no maculation; fringe pale gray brown; ventral side matte black. Male genitalia ( Fig. 27 ): Juxta round; valve length 1.6 mm, width at middle 0.3 mm, apically 0.4 mm, straight with rounded cucullus and small angled projection at middle of ventral margin. Eversion of the very small vesica was not successful. Female genitalia: Unknown.

Distribution and habitat. This species is known from Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and California. In southern California, this diurnal species has been collected in San Diego, Ventura, and Riverside counties in chaparral, along roadsides, and on sunlit trails. Adults are recorded from in April, July, August, and October.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 21. Adults of the new described species: 1, Drasteria convergens. 2, Tarachidia nigra. 3, Oncocnemis duplex. 4, Oncocnemis helena. 5, Oncocnemis sala. 6, Oncocnemis kelsoensis. 7, Annaphila scurlockorum. 8, Cryphia flavipuncta. 9, Protoperigea umbricata. 10, Protoperigea subterminata. 11, Protoperigea parvulata. 12, Protoperigea calientensis. 13, Aseptis fanatica. 14, Aseptis torreyana. 15, Apamea robertsoni. 16, Apamea digitula. 17, Photedes sofiae. 18, Mammifrontia sarae. 19, Lasionycta sala. 20, Trichocerapoda harbisoni. 21, Trichocerapoda oceanis.

FIGURES 22 – 39. Male genitalia of the new described species and related species: 22, Idia occidentalis. 23, Idia lubricalis. 24, Drasteria convergens (a, valves; b, everted vesica). 25, Drasteria pulchra (a, valves; b, everted vesica). 26, Drasteria tejonica (a, valves; b, everted vesica). 27, Tarachidia nigra. 28, Oncocnemis duplex (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 29, Oncocnemis helena (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 30, Oncocnemis sala (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 31, Oncocnemis kelsoensis (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 32, Annaphila scurlockorum (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 33, Annaphila abdita (a, valve; everted vesica). 34, Cryphia flavipuncta (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 35, Cryphia albipuncta (a, valves; b, everted vesica). 36, Protoperigea umbricata (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 37, Protoperigea posticata (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 38, Protoperigea subterminata (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 39, Protoperigea parvulata (a, valve; b, everted vesica).