Tetracis pallulata Hulst

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 : 16-17

Tetracis pallulata Hulst

( Figs. 5 , 30–34 , 92 , 107 , 123 , 138 )

Tetracis pallulata Hulst, 1887 . New species of Geometridae No. 3. Entomologica Americana 2(11): 211. Holotype ♂ ( Fig. 5 ), Crater Lake, Oregon [AMNH].

Synaxis pallulata Hulst, 1896 . A classification of the Geometrina of North America, with descriptions of new genera and species. Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 23: 324, 377.

Diagnosis: Tetracis pallulata generally can be separated from the other group III ochreous species by the presence of pale shading distad and dark shading basad of the PM line.

Description: Adults ( Figs. 5 , 30–34 ): FWL: 18–24 mm. Antenna dorsally whitish, laminate (very slender, but densely setose ventrally) in male; female similar, but narrower. Palpi slender, slightly decurved, about 1.7x eye width, ochreous, dark brown at tip. Head, thorax, abdomen, legs ochreous, varying in hue across individuals. Wings: Ochreous, varying in color across individuals. FW apex falcate. DFW irrorated with dark scales; with very dark brown (nearly black) AM and strongly-developed PM lines; PM line broadly paleshaded outwardly; the degree to which PM line angles inwardly at M3 varies across individuals; MB colored as rest of wing, or only very slightly darker. DHW with well-developed dark median line that fades out toward upper margin. Dark discal spots on FW and HW well-developed. Ventrally paler with dorsal markings lightly repeated. Some females tend to be much darker in hue than males with one brown example examined. Male genitalia ( Figs. 92 , 107 ): Uncus broad, slightly decurved, tapering to bluntly pointed tip. Dorso-caudal margin of gnathos concave with a robust upcurved spine at either side. Short (about 0.5x width of valve base) robust furca from middle of anellus tapers to rounded apex, enlarging slightly before apex. Valve moderately broad with even margins, tapering to narrow rounded apex with a triangular apical projection at the dorsal margin. Aedeagus with ring of spinules at posterior end at base of vesica; everted vesica with patch of sclerotized nodules on dome, denser at base of dome, becoming diffuse toward crown. Female genitalia ( Fig. 123 ): A/P = 0..66. Long unsclerotized tubular ductus bursae (ca. 1.5x length of corpus bursae). Corpus bursae ovoid with small oval dentate signum located at middle.

Material examined: 57 specimens with 11 dissections.

Biology: Mature larva and pupa described by McGuffin (1987:82). Larval hosts are members of the Cupressaceae and Pinaceae . Specific hosts for reared specimens that Ferris examined were Abies concolor Lindl. & Gord. (San Bernardino Co., CA), Picea englemanni Engelmann and Tsuga heterophylla Sargent. Jones (1951:139) listed Picea sitchensis Carr. Larval hosts of reared specimens from British Columbia in the CNC are: Abies grandis Lindl. , Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco , Tsuga canadensis Carr , Tsuga species. The citations in Parsons et al. (1999:911) of Rubus (Rosaceae) and of other families in Jones (1951:139) most probably represent misidentifications of T. jubararia . Adults from August to October.

Distribution ( Fig. 138 ): Southern California north to British Columbia, eastward to Idaho (Clearwater Co.) and western Montana (Lewis and Clark Co.) from near sea level to 7200’ (2200m). Records by province/ state/county are: CANADA: ALBERTA. Waterton Lakes, N.P. BRITISH COLUMBIA. Falkland, McGillvray Creek, Trinity Valley UNITED STATES: CALIFORNIA. Alpine, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Los Angeles, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Bernardino, Sonoma, Tehama, Tulare, Ventura. IDAHO. Clearwater. MONTANA. Lewis & Clark. OREGON. Curry, Grant, Lincoln, Klamath, Wallowa. WASHINGTON. Kittitas.

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 11. Type specimens: 3, Tetracis j. jubararia [CM photo]; 4. Synaxis jubararia sericeata [AMNH photo]; 5. Synaxis pallulata [AMNH photo]; 6. Synaxis hirsutaria (syntype) [author photo]; 7. Metanema cervinaria dorsal (D) & ventral (V) [composite of MCZ photos, used by permission]; 8 Metanema aurantiacaria dorsal (D) & ventral (V) [composite of MCZ photos, used by permission]; 9. Tetracis australis; 10. Tetracis montanaria; 11. Tetracis pallidata.

FIGURES 27 – 41. Tetracis adults: 27 – 29. T. fuscata, 27 – 28. Albany Co., WY, 29. Mesa Co., CO; 30 – 34. T. pallulata, 30. British Columbia, 31, 34. Curry Co., OR, 32. Plumas Co., CA, 33. Clark Co., NV; 35 – 38. T. mosesiani, 35 – 36, 38. Monterey Co., CA, 37. Los Angeles Co., CA; 39 – 41. T. j. jubararia, 39. Coos Co., OR, 40 – 41. Alameda Co., CA.

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 137 – 139. Tetracis distribution maps. 137. T. fuscata. 138. T. pallulata. 139. T. montanaria.