Revision of the North American Genera Tetracis Guenée and Synonymization of Synaxis Hulst with Descriptions of Three New Species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae)
Author
Ferris, Clifford D.
Author
Schmidt, Christian
text
Zootaxa
2010
2347
1
36
journal article
37555
10.5281/zenodo.275566
7595a203-d678-45c7-a4fd-e3a9c5ff5c0c
1175-5326
275566
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.