Lasionycta luteola species-group

The L. luteola species-group contains only L. luteola (Smith), a small (forewing length 12–14 mm) alpine species occurring in northwestern North America. It is characterized by the male and female genitalia. Males have an ovate flattened uncus, a strap-like valve with a relatively small cucullus, a straight digitus, and a vesica with a 360° subbasal coil with stout crenulate basal cornuti. Females have a soft pad-like ovipositor covered with long hairs, a relatively long ductus bursae (0.9× corpus bursae), and a strongly constricted bursa copulatrix with slightly smaller appendix bursae than corpus bursae. Th e male antenna is biserrate, approximately 1.8× as wide as the shaft.

The L. luteola species-group is structurally intermediate between the L. mutilata and L. leucocycla species-groups. Th e male uncus and basal vesica cornuti resemble those of the L. mutilata species-group whereas the valve and vesica shapes are more like those of the L. leucocycla species-group. In the female, the pad-like ovipositor is similar to that of the L. mutilata species-group but the cylindrical ductus bursae and smaller corpus bursae are like those of the L. leucocycla species-group.

The L. luteola species-group CO1 sequence differs from those of all other Lasionycta species by more than 2.9 %. Lasionycta luteola is always an isolated species on distance analysis, most often placed near the L. mutilata species-group (Fig. 247).