Psammopolia, Crabo & Lafontaine, 2009

Crabo, Lars & Lafontaine, Donald, 2009, 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, ZooKeys 30 (30), pp. 1-156 : 10-11

Key to North American Lasionycta species-groups and Psammopolia gen. n.

Males 1. Digitus vestigial ...................................................................... Psammopolia – Digitus elongate ( Lasionycta ).................................................................... 2 2. Valve lacking membranous postsaccular flap ........ L. secedens species-group – Valve with postsaccular flap........................................................................ 3 3. Uncus nearly cylindrical with acute apex........... L. leucocycla species-group

– Distal uncus dorsoventrally flattened with rounded or truncated apex........ 4

4. Vesica very long (> 3× aedeagus length), straight or slightly curved beyond basal bend, distal part with apical field of velvety setae............................... 5

– Vesica shorter (<3× aedeagus), coiled or spiraled with stout apical setae .... 6

5. Uncus tip slightly expanded and rounded ....... L. skraelingia species-group

– Uncus tip spatulate with squared-off apex ............... L. phaea species-group

6. Digitus more heavily sclerotized than clasper, bent 90° ventrad at base with prong-like or flange-like subbasal projection ......... L. subdita species-group

– Digitus less heavily sclerotized than clasper, oriented 30–45° ventrad, cylindrical, without projections ........................................................................ 7

7. Valve with weakly constricted neck and small rounded cucullus; forewing with inconspicuous dark-filled reniform spot ......... L. luteola species-group

– Valve with strongly constricted neck and large triangular cucullus; forewing with large pale-filled reniform spot...................... L. mutilata species-group

Females

1. Appendix bursae narrow and strongly spiraled ........................................... 2

– Appendix bursae bulbous, at most with indentation producing spiraled surface groove................................................................................................. 3

2. Ovipositor dorsoventrally asymmetrical with pointed elongate posterodorsal extension; wings pale sandy brown or silver gray ..................... Psammopolia

– Ovipositor lobes pad-like and symmetrical; forewings dark gray; hindwings yellow and black .................................................. L. secedens species-group

3. Ovipositor lobe sclerotized and conical, spade shaped, or rounded, covered with short stout setae at apex ............................ L. leucocycla species-group

– Ovipositor lobe soft and pad-like, covered with hair-like setae ................... 4

4. Bursa copulatrix round with appendix bursae extending anteriorly from left side of corpus bursae ....................................... L. skraelingia species-group

– Bursa copulatrix ovoid; appendix bursae directed posterodorsad or to left from posterodorsal origin on corpus bursae................................................ 5

5. Appendix bursae with spiraled surface groove; ductus bursae nearly cylindrical, without proximal or distal expansions............... L. phaea species-group

– Appendix bursae bulbous and broadly S-shaped, without surface groove; ductus bursae dorsoventrally flattened........................................................ 6

6. Anterior ductus bursae with focal expansion toward right> 1.5× ductus diameter near corpus bursae..................................... L. subdita species-group

– Ductus bursae lacking asymmetrical expansion near corpus bursae ............ 7

7. Ductus bursae 0.9–1.0× as long as corpus bursae; small species (forewing length 12–14 mm) with indistinct dark reniform spot ................................. .............................................................................. L. luteola species-group

– Ductus bursae relatively shorter, ̴ 0.7× as long as corpus bursae; larger species (forewing length 16–18 mm) with large pale-fi lled reniform spot outlined in black ...................................................... L. mutilata species-group