Tetracis crocallata Guenée

Ferris, Clifford D. & Schmidt, Christian, 2010, Revision of the North American Genera Tetracis Guenée and Synonymization of Synaxis Hulst with Descriptions of Three New Species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae), Zootaxa 2347, pp. 1-36 : 8-9

Tetracis crocallata Guenée

( Figs. 12–15 , 87 , 102 , 118 , 133 )

Tetracis crocallata Guenée, A., [1858] in Boisduval, J. B. A. de & Guenée, A., Histoire naturelle des insectes. Species général des lépidoptères, Paris, vol. 9:141. Syntype (s), Amérique septentrionale [North America]. Location of type (s) unknown.

T. aspilatata Guenée, A., [1858] in Boisduval, J. B. A. de & Guenée, A., Histoire naturelle des insectes. Species général des lépidoptères, Paris, vol. 9:141. Synonomy by Forbes, 1948:107. This is the pale spring form of crocallata ( Forbes, 1948:107) . Syntypes 1 ♂, 1 ♀, [ USA], New York, Canada. Location of syntypes unknown.

Diagnosis: Recognized by yellow or yellowish-white wings, DFW straight transverse brown PM line, absent AM line, small brown discal spot.

Description: Adults ( Figs. 12–15 ): FWL: 17–25 mm. Antenna (stated as serrate by some authors) basically filiform in both sexes, but in males ventrally minutely setose and weakly fasciculate; ventrally minutely setose in females. Palpi, upcurved, short (about to horizontal midline of eye), yellowish-tan scales on outer side, paler inward. Head, thorax, abdomen, legs, wings concolorous varying across individuals from pale yellowish-white to yellow, with sparse sprinkling of individual brown scales; tarsal spines brown. Wings: DFW yellow or yellowish-white with straight brown transverse PM line from apex to inner margin and brown discal spot; DHW usually with brown discal spot and normally incomplete (sometimes absent) brown transverse median line. Underside as above, but less strongly marked. April specimens from Alabama are often irrorated with dark scales. Kimball (1965, p. 189) mentioned similar maculation in Florida specimens. Male genitalia ( Figs. 87 , 102 ): Uncus decurved, slender, tapering to pointed apex. Gnathos with pair of upcuved spines projecting from dorso-caudal margin. Robust club-like furca from middle of anellus with approximately 90° bend about one-third distance below rounded apex. Valve of nearly constant width with rounded apex lacking an apical projection. Aedeagus with ring of widely-spaced spinules at posterior end at base of vesica; everted vesica balloon-like with central dense patch of slender spinules. Female genitalia ( Fig. 118 ): A/P = 0.55. Short, linearly sclerotized ductus bursae expands downward to join spherical upper portion of unsclerotized corpus bursae; lower half of corpus bursae tapers to elongate tube ending in rounded fundus. Large irregular elongate slightly spinose signum situated on upper portion of corpus bursae.

Material examined: Numerous specimens, number not recorded; four dissections in addition to examination of genitalic illustrations in the literature.

Biology: Life history by Forbes (1948) and McGuffin (1987:85). Recorded larval hosts include Alnus , Castanea , and Salix . Adults May—August, depending upon locality. Two generations in New York [and southward], late May and August ( Forbes, 1948:107). A generalist regarding ecozones.

Distribution ( Fig. 133 ): Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan, to Alberta (Edmonton–Red Deer region), south to northern Florida, west to Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and extreme eastern Texas. Specific state/county/province records are: CANADA: MANITOBA. Porcupine Forest Reserve. NOVA SCOTIA. Kings Co. QUEBEC. Numerous localities across southern Quebec were cited by Handfield (1999). UNITED STATES: ALABAMA. Bibb, Dekalb, Jackson, Madison, Monroe. ARKANSAS. Clark, Garland. CONNECTICUT. Litchfield, New Haven. FLORIDA. Alachua, Gasden, Liberty, Suwanee. GEORGIA. Bartow, Douglas, Emanuel, Floyd, Fulton, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Paulding, Telfair, Whitfield. INDIANA. Elkhart, Lagrange, St. Joseph. ILLINOIS. Cook, Decatur, IOWA. Story, Woodbury. KANSAS. Cherokee, Douglas. KENTUCKY. Laurel. LOUISIANA (Parishes). Ascension, Iberville, St. Tammany, West Feliciana. MAINE. Franklin, Piscataquis, Penobscot. MICHIGAN. Barry, Calhoun, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Keweenaw, Otsego. MARYLAND. Alleghany, Baltimore, Caroline, Dorchester, Harford, Prince George's, Talbot, Wicomico, Worchester. MASSACHUSETTS. Middlesex. MINNESOTA. Anoka, Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake. MISSISSIPPI. Forest, George, Grenada, Lee, Pike, Rankin, Tishomingo, Warren, Wilkinson, Winston. MISSOURI. Clay, Jackson. NEBRASKA. Lancaster. NEW HAMPSHIRE. Sullivan. NEW JERSEY. Burlington, Essex, Morris, Passaic. NEW YORK. Albany, Bronx, Erie, Kings, Monroe, Orleans, Richmond (Staten Is.), Suffolk, Tompkins, Warren. NORTH CAROLINA. Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Durham, Haywood, Macon, Stokes, Swain. OHIO. Athens, Butler, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hocking, Holmes, Jefferson, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Lucas, Mahoning, Montgomery, Pike, Portage, Preble, Richland, Seneca, Trumbull, Vinton, Wayne. PENNSYLVANIA. Beaver, Bucks, Centre, York. SOUTH CAROLINA. Charleston, Greenville, Pickens. SOUTH DAKOTA. Day, Marshall. TENNESSEE. Blount, Cocke, Sevier. TEXAS. Hardin, Morris, Sabine. VERMONT. Chittenden. VIRGINIA. Montgomery, Rockingham. WISCONSIN. Ashland, Brown, Burnett, Chippewa, Crawford, Dane, Douglas, Florence, Fon du Lac, Forest, Grant, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Marathon, Marinette, Milwaukee, Monroe, Ozaukee, Pierce, Richland, Sauk, Sheboygan, Trempealeau, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waushara.

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 26. Tetracis adults: 12 – 15. T. crocallata, 12. Penobscot Co., ME, 13 – 14. Lagrange Co., IL, 15. Elkhart Co., IN; 16 – 18. T. cachexiata, Elkhart Co., IN; 19 – 23. T. cervinaria, 19, 23. Franklin Co., ID, 20 – 22. Wallowa Co., OR; 24 – 26. T. australis, Los Angeles Co., CA, paratypes.

FIGURES 87 – 94. Tetracis male genitalia with aedeagus removed and aedeagus with vesica everted. 87. T. crocallata. 88. T. cachexiata. 89. T. cervinaria. 90. T. australis. 91. T. fuscata. 92. T. pallulata. 93. T. mosesiani. 94. T. j. jubararia. Aedeagus enlarged relative to remaining structures.

FIGURES 102 – 117. Tetracis male genitalia, domes of everted vesica. 102. T. crocallata. 103. T. cachexiata. 104. T. cervinaria. 105. T. australis. 106. T. fuscata. 107. T. pallulata. 108. T. mosesiani. 109. T. j. jubararia. 110. T. j. sericeata. 111. T. montanaria. 112. T. barnesii. 113. T. formosa. 114 – 115. T. hirsutaria. 116 – 117. T. pallidata.

FIGURES 118 – 124. Female genitalia with enlarged view of signa. 118. T. crocallata. 119. T. cachexiata. 120. T. cervinaria. 121. T. australis. 122. T. fuscata. 123. T. pallulata. 124. T. mosesiani.

FIGURES 133 – 134. Tetracis distribution maps. 133. T. crocallata. 134. T. cachexiata. Louisiana records from Vernon Antoine Brou, Jr.