Protoperigea calientensis Mustelin

Mustelin, Tomas, 2006, Taxonomy of southern California Erebidae and Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) with descriptions of twenty one new species, Zootaxa 1278, pp. 1-47 : 25-27

Protoperigea calientensis Mustelin , NEW SPECIES

Figs. 12 , 40 a, 40b, and 74

Type material. Holotype: Male, Granite Cove, Granite Mts., San Bernardino County, California, 900 m, 11­12 November 1983, J. P. & K. E. S. Donahue. Paratypes: 7 males, 2 females. Imperial/San Diego County: In­Ko­Pah Gorge, 1000 m, 5 November 2002, T. Mustelin (4 males). Los Angeles County: Devil's Punchbowl County Park, 2 November 1975, Sullivan (1 male). San Bernardino County: Joshua Tree National Monument, 24 km south of 29 Palms, 1100 m, 19 October 1966, D. F. Hardwick (1 male). San Luis Obispo County: Padrones Spring Canyon, Caliente Range, 900 m, 30 October 1999, T. E. Dimock (1 male and 1 female). Placer County: Ward Creek, 3 km south of Tahoe City, 2000 m, 10 August 1983, N. Westerland (1 female). The Holotype and genitalic slides #222/TM and #242/TM deposited in SDNHM, paratypes in CNC, LACM, and the collections of T. Dimock and the author.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the Caliente Range.

Diagnosis. This is a smaller and less robust species of Protoperigea and superficially resembles P. subterminata . It has a slender thorax and abdomen (a, Fig. 12 ) with the forewing ground color pale grayish cream and a dark reniform spot (b, Fig. 12 ). The postmedial line is double and the area between the postmedial and the subterminal lines is dark (c, Fig. 12 ). The species can also be distinguished from P. subterminata by the pale fuscous hindwing (d, Fig. 12 ); the hindwing is white in P. subterminata .

Description. Antenna finely ciliate in males, filiform in females; palpus covered laterally with thin dark brown scales, apex pale; head, collar and thorax covered with uniformly pale gray cream colored hairlike scales, venter covered with hairlike scales concolorous with dorsum; abdomen covered with pale gray cream colored scales, venter concolorous with dorsum; forewing ground color pale gray cream colored; basal and median areas lightly dusted with dark scales; claviform spot absent; orbicular spot a small dark dot, reniform spot small, kidney­shaped, filled with brown gray; antemedial line dark brown, weak, two dark patches on costa; median line absent medially, dark patch on costa; postmedial line double, dark, inner line thin, serrated, outer line smooth, enclosed area pale, dark dot on costa; subterminal line serrate, dark, heavily dark­shaded inward; subterminal area dark; terminal line consisting of black spots; fringe concolorous with ground color with a dark basal line; ventral side uniformly very pale gray cream colored, darker towards apex. Hindwing whitish, broad gray subterminal shade; fringe whitish with brown basal line; ventral side as in dorsal side, but with small discal spot. Male genitalia ( Figs. 40 a and 40b): Juxta round; valve length 2.75–2.8 mm, width at middle 0.9–1.0 mm, broad and rectangular; cucullus a dorsal fingerlike projection, width 0.15 mm, slightly curved ventrally; clasper length 0.7 mm, slender, S­shaped; aedeagus length 2.5 mm, width 0.8 mm, slender and curved; everted vesica length 3.4 mm, width 1.4 mm, ovate, tapering distally, with patches of small spines. Female genitalia ( Fig. 74 ): Ovipositor lobes triangular, 0.3 mm wide, covered in small setae; posterior apophyses 1.9 mm long, anterior apophyses 0.9 mm long; ductus bursae short and very broad, length 1.8 mm, width 1.4–1.5 mm, no abrupt narrowing (unlike in P. umbricata and subterminalis), sclerotized, smooth, with lateral barlike thickenings; corpus bursae spherical, 2.4 x 2.15 mm, surface smooth with faint wrinkles.

Distribution and habitat. The few known specimens of P. calientensis are from desert canyons around the edges of the Colorado and Mojave Deserts from the Mexican border north to Lake Tahoe. The flight period is late October–November.

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 40 – 63. Male genitalia of the new described species and related species: 40, Protoperigea calientensis (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 41, Aseptis fanatica (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 42, Aseptis ethnica. 43, Aseptis ferruginea. 44, Aseptis torreyana (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 45, Aseptis serrula. 46, Apamea robertsoni (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 47, Apamea digitula (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 48, Apamea sordens. 49, Photedes sofiae. 50, Mammifrontia sarae (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 51, Mammifrontia rileyi (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 52, Benjaminola colorada (a, valve; b, everted vesica). 53, Perigonica tertia. 54, Perigonica fulminans. 55, Perigonica angulata. 56, Anarta fusculenta (a, valves; b, everted vesica). 57, Anarta crotchi (a, valves; b, everted vesica). 58, Anarta oaklandiae. 59, Lasionycta sala (a, valves; b, everted vesica). 60, Trichocerapoda harbisoni (a, valves; b, everted vesica). 61, Trichocerapoda comstocki. 62, Trichocerapoda oceanis (a, valves; b, everted vesica). 63. Hexorthodes nipana.

FIGURES 63 – 79. Female genitalia of the new described species: 64, Drasteria convergens. 65, Oncocnemis duplex. 66, Oncocnemis helena. 67, Oncocnemis sala. 68, Oncocnemis kelsoensis. 69, Annaphila scurlockorum. 70, Cryphia flavipuncta. 71, Protoperigea umbricata. 72, Protoperigea subterminata. 73, Protoperigea parvulata. 74, Protoperigea calientensis. 75, Aseptis fanatica. 76, Apamea robertsoni. 77, Apamea digitula. 78, Photedes sofiae. 79, Mammifrontia sarae. 80, Lasionycta sala. 81, Trichocerapoda oceanis.