Cissusa indiscreta (Henry Edwards, 1886)

Mustelin, Tomas, 2006, Taxonomy of southern California Erebidae and Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) with descriptions of twenty one new species, Zootaxa 1278, pp. 1-47 : 5

Cissusa indiscreta (Henry Edwards, 1886)

Cissusa subtermina ( Smith, 1900) , NEW SYNONYM

Based on the female lectotype of Synedoida (= Cissusa ) subtermina (USNM) and J. B. Smith’s description of this species from two females from San Diego County, California ( Smith, 1900), I consider it conspecific with Cissusa indiscreta .

It is not surprising that Smith considered his two specimens to represent a new species; the species is highly variable in southern California, and many specimens are considerably paler than those from the Pacific Northwest. The transverse lines are also typically less prominent. In southern California the moth varies considerably in forewing ground color, in the amount of black dusting, and in the extent and color of the maculation. Typically, the moth is yellowish gray with fine black dusting that give it a greenish gray aspect, but some individuals are pale yellowish or dark greenish gray. In many specimens the reniform spot is entirely black and there are two or more black spots on the subterminal line near the forewing apex, but these can be entirely lacking. Finally, the hindwing of southern California C. indiscreta is often mostly pale at the wing base with a darker subterminal shade.