Acontia geminocula Ferris & Lafontaine, 2009

Ferris, Clifford & Lafontaine, Donald, 2009, Review of the Acontia areli group with descriptions of three new species (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Acontiinae), ZooKeys 9 (9), pp. 27-46 : 42-44

Acontia geminocula Ferris & Lafontaine , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CCB85133-9645-4C5E-B32D-2A66F0EA66AE

Figs. 1 , 11-13 , 20 , 26 , 32

Type material. Holotype ♁. Arizona, Yavapai Co., Granite Dells, 4 mi N Prescott, 2 Sept., 1970, L. M. Martin. [ CNC, Ottawa , Canada] . Paratypes 110 ♁, 133 ♀ (13 dissections): Arizona. Same locality and collector as for holotype, 9 Aug.–23 Sept. 1970 (3 ♁) ; Cochise Co., Chiricahua Mts. , Cave Creek Canyon, 5400', 1 July–4 Sept. 1966, J. G. Franclemont (12 ♁, 7 ♀) ; Cochise Co., Chiricahua Mts. , Cave Creek Canyon, 4880', 7 July–25 Aug. 1967, J. G. Franclemont (7 ♁, 11 ♀) ; Cochise Co., Garden Canyon , 4 Aug. 1966, R. F. Sternitsky (1 ♀) ; Cochise Co., Huachuca Mts. , Miller Canyon, 5000', 29 June–17 Aug., 1974, J.G. Franclemont (20 ♁, 32 ♀) ; Cochise Co., Huachuca Mts. , Ramsey Canyon, 23 Sept. & 4 Oct., 1967, R. F. Sternitsky (4 ♀) ; Cochise Co., Paradise, Barnes Coll. (6 ♁, 1 ♀) ; Cochise Co., Portal , 5 mi SW, 5400', 2 Oct., 1969, D. F. Hardwick (1 ♁) ; Cochise Co., Sierra Vista , 12 Sept. 1967, R. F. Sternitsky (2 ♀) ; Cochise Co., Huachuca Mts. , Ash Canyon , 5170' (1575 m), 3 July , 2005, C. D. Ferris (1 ♁, 1 ♀). Pima Co. , Baboquivari Mts., 5000', 1-7 July 1923 & 5700', 15-30 July 1923 & 1-15 Sept. 1923, O. C. Poling (2 ♁, 2 ♀) ; Pima Co., Baboquivari Mts. , Brown Canyon, 4100', 20 Aug. 2006, T. Mustelin & 20 Aug. 2008, C. Schmidt & L. Crabo (1 ♁, 1 ♀) ; Santa Cruz Co., Canelo , 20 Aug. 1966, R .

F. Sternitsky (1 ♀); Santa Cruz Co., Sycamore Canyon , 4400' (1340 m), 9 Aug., 1990, C. D. Ferris (1 ♁) ; Santa Cruz Co., Huachuca Mts., Copper Canyon , 6050', 9 July 2004, J. B. Walsh (2 ♁) ; Santa Cruz Co., Patagonia Mts., Harshaw , 4900', 27 June 2006, J. B. Walsh (1 ♁) ; Santa Cruz Co., Peña Blanca, 3950', 11,18,23 Aug., 1960, J. G. Franclemont (6 ♁, 1 ♀) ; Santa Cruz Co., Santa Rita Mts., Madera Canyon , 4880', 4 July–6 Sept. ,1959 & 23 July–28 Aug. , 1960, J.G. Franclemont (43 ♁, 67 ♀) & Madera Canyon , 5100', 10-26 July 1964, D. R. Davis (2 ♁) ; Santa Cruz Co., T 20S, R14 E. Sec. 2, Madera Canyon, Santa Rita Lodge , 4840', 5 July 1987, E. H. Metzler (1 ♁, 1 ♀). Yavapai Co. , Prescott , 2, 4 Sept. , 1907, R. C. Kunze (2 ♁). Texas: Brewster Co. , 6.5 mi south of Alpine , 30°17.4'N 103°35.6'W 9 Aug. 1991, Eric H. Metzler (1 ♁, 1♀). Paratypes deposited in CNC, CUIC, USNM, and the personal collections of C. D. Ferris, E. H. Metzler, and J. B. Walsh .

Other material examined and distribution ( Fig. 32 ). Mexico. Chihuahua, Mesa del Huracá n (1 ♁).

Note. Material of this species was distributed by E. L. Todd under the unpublished manuscript name “ Acontia vasticola .”

Etymology. The name of this species refers to the pair of eye-like spots on each forewing.

Diagnosis. DFW basal area nearly white in male (like A. toddi ), pale buff in female (like A. areli ); distal area brown mottled with paler areas; reniform spot inwardly produced with dark distal patch. Differs from other four similar species in having a second reniform-like spot with dark outer patch below reniform.

Description. Adult male: Head – dark brown; antenna filiform; palpus porrect slightly longer than eye width, white basally, outer half brown with vertical white band in middle. Thorax – prothoracic collar, thorax and abdomen white. Foreleg: coxa white with brown patch near middle; femur, tibia, and tarsus brown, white-ringed in middle of tibia and at joints. Middle leg: femur and tibia white with brown rings at femoraltibia joint and near apex of tibia; tarsus brown, white-ringed at joints. Hindleg: femur and tibia white with light brown shading at tibial-tarsal joint; first tarsal segment white shading to brown at joint with second segment; remaining tarsi brown, white-ringed at joints. Wings: male (FWL 10-11 mm). DFW: ground color creamy-white over basal half with pale brown patchy maculation, brown on remainder of wing with scattered paler areas producing a mottled aspect; prominent white skewed, trapezoidal preapical patch on costa; orbicular spot virtually obsolete, defined only by a few dark scales; reniform spot circular with iridescent blue scales filling distal half, below which a second reniform-like patch with brown and blue scales; a brown bar along inner margin below reniform spot; terminal line a series of dark dashes; fringe brown basally, white at tips, with brown patch below apex. DHW: luminous white, nearly hyaline with pale brown marginal band; fringe white. Female (FWL 10-12 mm) – similar to male, but DFW basal area buff; DHW pale tan, shading to pale brown on marginal band. Male genitalia ( Fig. 20 ) – uncus: decurved, long, narrow, tapering to pointed tip. Valve: asymmetrical; right valve broad mesially, tapered toward apex, weakly pointed apically; corona present but weak; right valve with clasper on ventral margin; clasper only slightly tapered until 1/5 from apex, then abruptly tapered to finger-like process with rounded apex that bends dorsally toward middle of cucullus; saccular extension elongate, apical 2/3 densely spiny, like a mace; left valve similar to right valve, but sacculus and valve narrower and clasper more evenly tapered to apex; apex sharply pointed. Aedeagus: very similar to that of A. toddi except two rasp-like spine patches in everted vesica with more evenly sized sclerites and subbasal diverticulum without cornutus near base. Female genitalia ( Fig. 26 ) – most similar to those of A. toddi , but ostium bursae much wider and spine-filled pouch at end of corpus bursae to right of ductus bursae in A. geminocula .

Biology. Unknown. Adults July–September in riparian canyons from 4100-7400' (1250-2250 m).

Figures

Figure 1. Diagnostic characters for separating the five Acontia areli group species found in the United States. The Mexican A. areletta is similar to A. areloides, but with an all white hindwing.

Figure 32. Acontia geminocula distribution map.

Figures 2-16. Acontia areli group adults. 2-4. A. areli, 2 ♁, Catron Co., NM; 3 ♁, Grant Co., NM; 4 ♀, Grant Co., NM; 5-7. A. areloides, 5 ♁, Grant Co., NM; 6 ♁, Catron Co., NM; 7 ♀, Catron Co., NM. 8-10. A. toddi, 8 ♁, holotype, Emery Co., UT, 9 ♁, Yavapai Co., AZ, 10 ♀, Emery Co., UT. 11-13. A. geminocula, 11 ♁, holotype, Yavapai Co., AZ; 12 ♁, Cochise Co., AZ; 13 ♀, Pima Co., AZ. 14-15. A. albifusa, 14 ♁, holotype, Pima Co., AZ, 15 ♀, Pima Co., AZ. 16. A. areletta ♁, San Jacinto, Mexico.

Figures 20-22. Acontia areli group male genitalia (left – ventral; right – lateral). 20 A. geminocula, 21 A. albifusa, 22 A. areletta.

Figures 23-27. Acontia areli group female genitalia. 23 A. areli, 24 A. areloides, 25 A. toddi, 26 A. geminocula, (26a ventral; 26b lateral), 27 A. albifusa.