Sarata tephrella Ragonot, 1893

Ferris, Clifford D. & Nordin, John S., 2004, Taxonomic note on Sarata tephrella Ragonot (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Pyralidae: Phycitinae), Zootaxa 569 (1), pp. 1-7 : 2-6

Sarata tephrella Ragonot

MALE

Diagnosis. Separated from similar species by its small size, dark thorax, pale grayish color, and absence of well­defined dorsal forewing transverse bands.

Description ( Figs. 3–5 ). Forewing length (base to apex): 11–16 mm. Head ( Fig. 5 ): Antennae with small spined tuft at base of shaft; labial palpi long, slender, porrect with mosaic of pale grayish brown and dark brown scales on dorsal ridge and laterally, changing to white basally below eye; frons, collar clothed in dark brownish­black to black scales, some white­tipped, with narrow fringe of whitish scales above eyes. Body: Thorax clothed in dark brownish gray to black scales, some basally pale with dark tips; abdomen covered with pale grayish brown scales, ventrally with pale distal terminal scales on each segment; legs covered with mixture of whitish and pale grayish brown scales with suggestion of weakly defined alternating light and dark bands. Wings ( Figs. 3–4 ): Dorsal color of forewings variable from pale gray to drab charcoal gray; maculation varies from nearly absent to a weak bicolored postmedial band, whitish distad, blackish basad, with a weak dark antemedial band, very thin and poorly defined dark terminal band; fringe with basal row of short white­tipped pale grayish brown scales and outer row of similar but longer scales; hindwings thinly scaled, uniformly pale brownish­gray with terminal line and fringe similar to forewing; ventral wings uniformly medium grayish­brown. The type of S. tephrella was described as having the dorsal forewing heavily dusted with white. Upon magnification, fresh specimens that we collected manifested overlying white scales. As the moths age during flight, the white scales slough off exposing underlying gray, brownish, and charcoal gray scales, many of which are white­tipped. Aged individuals present a rather drab charcoal gray aspect. In flight, the moths appear pale gray regardless of age. Genitalia ( Figs. 7–11 ; 17 dissections from 5 localities). The small process located toward the base of the costa varies in size from essentially absent to that shown in Fig. 8 (arrow). Heinrich’s illustration (Fig. 405) does not show this feature, and the process was either absent, or so small that it was flattened against the costa and rendered invisible when the slide was prepared. The vesica is armed with a large, hollow, and robust spine and a small distorted crescentic chitinous piece, which is variable in size, shape, and degree of chitinization. Figs. 9–10 illustrate variation in the aedoeagus. Fig. 11 shows the everted vesica. The robust spine is seated at the base of the funnel­shaped end of a diverticulum that has a stiff membrane; further eversion cannot be obtained by pulling on the spine. There is a large scobinate patch on the surface of the vesica (double arrows Figs. 10–11 ). The eighth abdominal segment and ventrolateral tufts of the specimens dissected agreed with Heinrich’s drawings (Fig. 405b). Based on the illustrations in Heinrich, the male genitalia of tephrella and rubrithoracella (Barnes & McDunnough) are very similar. The latter species, however, is reported to have a rufous­ochreous shading on the thorax, while the thorax of tephrella is very dark brownish gray to nearly black.

FEMALE

Diagnosis. Female genitalia has fine spining on corpus bursae that occupies only onequarter or less rather than the anterolateral half as in epsilon Heinrich , and of different shape and broader extent than in delta Heinrich.

Description ( Figs. 6 , 12–14 ). Forewing length (base to apex): 8–10 mm. Head ( Fig. 6 ): Antennae simple; labial palpi porrect with white­tipped black scales on dorsal ridge, laterally covered with black scales with abrupt change to white scales ventrally and at base; frons, collar clothed in dark brownish­black to black scales, some white­tipped (as in males). Body: Thorax, abdomen, legs as in males. Wings ( Figs. 12–13 ): Forewings short and stubby compared to males, with rounded outer margin; antemedial band white basad, black distad, complete postmedial black band with narrow white edging distad; two vertical black discal spots (absent in some specimens) separated by a narrow lateral band of white scales, narrow black terminal line, fringe with basal row of short white­tipped dark gray scales and outer row of long paler gray white­tipped scales, remaining wing areas covered by white­tipped blackish scales producing a dark gray aspect; hindwings uniformly medium brownish­gray with terminal line and fringe similar to forewing; ventral wings uniformly medium grayish­brown. Genitalia ( Fig. 14a, b ; 2 dissections). Membranous ostium bursae; simple ductus bursae, shorter than corpus bursae; corpus bursae with patch of microspines covering the fundus and about one­quarter of the anterolateral surface; ductus seminalis emerges close to middle of corpus bursae.

Material examined: WYOMING, Albany Co., ca. 41°17.88’N, 105°31.51’W, 2285 m, 39 males taken in UV­light traps (separated about 0.45 km) approximately 2 km east of Laramie with early and late dates ranging from 26 March–14 May 1992 –2004; 41° 17.9’N, 105°30.4’W, 2287 m, 13.iv.2003 (1f, JSN); 41°18.50’N, 105°30.75’W, 2333 m, 13.iv.2003 (5m, JSN), 30.iii–4.iv.2004 (101m, 17f, CDF, JSN) ; 41°13.8’N, 105°22.6’W, 2535m, UV­light trap, JSN, 1988: 30.iv (1m), 5.v (1m); 41° 13.5’N, 105° 22.5’W, 2545 m, 23.v.2003 (4m, UV­light trap, JSN); COLORADO, Larimer Co., T[ownship] 9N, R[ange] 71W, S[ection] 4, hill S. of Lone Pine Creek , 1950 m, 30.iv.88 (1m, JSN), 11.iv.2003 (6m, UV­light trap, JSN).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Female genitalia of S. tephrella. a, partially inflated corpus bursae; b, fully inflated and flattened corpus bursae from another specimen.

FIGURES 3–4. Males of S. tephrella from locality in Figs. 1–2, 31.iii.2004. 3, pale form; 4, strongly marked form.

FIGURES 5–6. Heads of S. tephrella. 5, male; 6, female.

FIGURES 7–11. Male genitalia of S. tephrella. 7, genitalia less aedoeagus; 8, genitalia less aedoeagus with saccus cut to permit display of right valva and process (arrow); 9, aedoeagus similar to Heinrich’s drawing of type specimen (arrow points to small chitinous piece); 10, aedoeagus of another specimen with smaller and differently shaped chitinous piece, single arrow points to small chitinous piece, double arrows point to scobinations on vesica; 11, everted vesica, single arrow points to small chitinous piece, double arrows point to scobinations on vesica.

FIGURES 12–13. Females of S. trephrella from locality in Figs. 1–2, 31.iii.2004. 12, small specimen with FW discal spots; 13, large specimen with vestigial FW discal spots.

FIGURES 1–2. Habitat on April 1, 2004, WY, Albany,Co., 41°18.50’N, 105°30.75’W, 2333 m. 1, general view to east of north­facing bank; 2, bottom of gulley with Artemisia tridentata (brown dead flower stalks) in foreground and Juniperus scopulorum at left and in background.