A Revision of Lasionycta Aurivillius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) for North America and notes on Eurasian species, with descriptions of 17 new species, 6 new subspecies, a new genus, and two new species of Tricholita Grote
Author
Crabo, Lars
Washington State University, Bellingham, United States of America
Author
Lafontaine, Donald
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Canada
text
ZooKeys
2009
2009-12-18
30
30
1
156
journal article
10.3897/zookeys.30.308
ca35c50f-b0c5-4032-b06d-f71b00710c8d
1313–2970
576576
C26E1A82-0DD4-48EF-865C-9D8AA788B739
Lasionycta
anthracina
Crabo & Lafontaine
,
sp. n.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:
4B1035B4-8962-48D0-9DD6-09701403151B
Figs 33, 150, 206. Map 7
Type
Material.
Holotype
♁.
Canada
,
Quebec
,
St-Michel des Saints
,
Lac Dussault
,
47°00.09 N
,
73°53.67 W
,
D. Handfield
,
25 juin 2004
,
Mercure de Sabloneux
,
Tourbiére
, MONA: 10355;
DH005607
,
Lasionycta albinuda
, Sexe
:
Male
,
Forme
: typique,
Databased
for
CNC
;
Noctuoidea
#6454,
Barcodes of Life Project
,
University of Guelph
, DNA#
Noctuoidea
6454.
CNC
.
Paratypes
10 ♁,
3 ♀
.
Canada
.
Alberta
.
Fort McMurray
,
12 June 1953
,
Slide No.
8528 (1 ♁)
;
Labrador
. Cartwright, 10 Aug.
1955, E. E. Stearns/ PAPILLONS DU QUEBEC ET DU LABRADOR;
Louis
Handfield-
Ed.
Broquet- phot -1995 (1 ♁).
Ontario
. Black Sturgeon Lake
,
27 June 1963
(1 ♁)
;
Hymers
,
9 Aug. 1911
,
H. Dawson
(
1 ♀
)
;
Th
under
Bay Area
,
28 June 1993
,
12 July 1993
, J. P.
Walas
, (2 ♁).
Quebec
:
Baie Comeau
,
54°47’ N
66°47’ W
,
1 July 1948
,
E. G. Munroe
/ PAPILLONS DU QUEBEC ET DU LABRADOR
;
Louis Handfield - Ed.
Broquet- phot -1995 (1 ♁)
;
same locality, date, and collector (
1 ♀
)
;
Cap-de-la-
Madeleine
,
25 July 1954
, 14–344,
Fernand St.
Louis (1 ♁)
;
Forestville
,
7 July 1950
, R. deRuette (1 ♁)
;
Granby
,
31 July 1940
,
P. E. Mercier
(1 ♁)
;
Lac Mondor
,
Ste. Flore
,
25 June 1951
,
E. G. Munroe
(
1 ♀
).
USA
,
New Hampshire
.
Mt
Washington
,
Lake
of the
Clouds
, 5000’,
2 Aug. 1954
,
Becker
,
Munroe
, and
Mason
(1 ♁).
CNC
,
LGC
,
UASM
.
Etymology
.
The name
anthracina
is derived from
anthracinus
meaning coal-black in Latin. It refers to the black color of this moth.
Diagnosis
.
Lasionycta anthracina
is a small (forewing length
10–13 mm
) nearly black species from the boreal forest zone of eastern and central
Canada
and northeastern
United States
. It is structurally similar to
L
.
leucocycla
except for large eyes and slightly more slender male valves. Other
L
.
leucocycla
sub-group species in its range,
L
.
leucocycla
and
L
.
flanda
, have light-colored hindwings.
Lasionycta anthracina
is most similar to
L
.
coracina
from far northwestern North America and can be told from it by characters listed under that species;
L
.
phoca
(Möschler)
, another dark species from northeastern
Canada
, is larger (forewing length
13–14 mm
), gray rather than black, and has a thick ventral hindwing postmedial line that touches the discal spot; that of
L
.
anthracina
is thin and separate from the spot.
The CO1 sequence of
L
.
anthracina
is identical to that of
L
.
flanda
and similar to those of
L
.
leucocycla
.
Description
. Head –
Antenna of male biserrate, 1.7–2.0× width of shaft. Antenna of female filiform and ciliate. Dorsal antenna mostly black with few white scales at distal end of segments. Scape white. Eye size normal. Palpus with many dark-gray and fewer white scales laterally, mostly white scales medially. Frons and top of head covered with many black and a few white-tipped black scales.
Thorax –
Vestiture a mixture of black and white-tipped black hair-like scales, appearing black. Legs black with white rings at distal end of tarsal segments.
Wings –
Forewing length: males
10–12 mm
(expanse
22–27 mm
); females
11–13 mm
(expanse
25–29 mm
). Forewing with many dark-gray, fewer black, and very few white and pale-yellow scales, appearing charcoal gray with black lines and spots. Basal and antemedial lines double, filled with slightly paler gray. Postmedial line diffuse, black, strongest in cell and at costa. Postmedial line extended onto veins and slightly scalloped between veins, slightly excurved from costa to fold and then slightly oblique to posterior margin, bordered distally by paler gray and scattered white scales. Subterminal line luteous, thin, preceded by dark chevrons between veins. Orbicular spot round, filled with lighter gray scales and a faint dark- er ocellus. Reniform and claviform spots black, barely perceptible. Fringe of ground color, weakly checkered with black. Ventral forewing dark brown-gray with dark-gray discal spot, subterminal line, costa, and marginal area. Dorsal hindwing brown gray to nearly black, with darker gray discal spot, undulating medial band, and wide marginal band. Fringe dark gray proximally, light gray distally. Ventral hindwing brown-gray with suffusion of dark-gray scales with dark-gray margins. A basal dash connecting the wing base and discal spot is present in some specimens. Discal spot moderately large, arrowhead shaped. Postmedial line undulating, complete, located closer to marginal band than discal spot. Marginal band very thin, indistinct medially. Fringe brown gray proximally, light whitish gray distally.
Abdomen –
Uniform dark gray.
Male genitalia –
(Fig. 150). Genital capsule and aedeagus as in the
L
.
leucocycla
species-group and
L
.
leucocycla
sub-group descriptions. Valve approximately 4.8–6.8× as long as wide. Two of three preparations examined demonstrate slight downward angulation of dorsal margin of valve near neck. Cucullus slightly smaller than average for species-group. Vesica without basal cornuti (N = 3).
Female genitalia –
(Fig. 206). Ovipositor lobe, segment VIII, and bursa copulatrix as described for
L
.
leucocycla
species-group. Bursa approximately 0.75× ductus length and 0.7× as wide as long.
Distribution
and biology.
Lasionycta anthracina
occurs from the east coast of Labrador to northeastern
Alberta
southward to northern
New Hampshire
and Lake Superior in western
Ontario
. It flies in boreal forest and bogs and has been collected from mid-June to mid-August. It is nocturnal and comes to lights.
Lasionycta anthracina
and
L
.
leucocycla
occur in different habitats and are sympatric in the White Mountains,
New Hampshire
, Poste-de-la-Baleine,
Quebec
, and the vicinity of Cartwright, Labrador.
Remarks
.
This species was known as
L
.
albinuda
(Smith)
for many years, but the name is now known to be a synonym of
L
.
phoca
.