Plagiomimicus yakama Crabo & Wikle

Crabo, Lars G., Hammond, Paul C., Mustelin, Tomas & Wikle, David L., 2018, Six new species and one new subspecies of noctuid moths from western United States of America and Mexico (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), ZooKeys 788, pp. 201-239 : 206-210

Plagiomimicus yakama Crabo & Wikle sp. n. Figs 11-13, 17, 18, 21, 24, 49

Type locality.

USA, Washington, Yakima County, Satus Creek.

Type Material.

Holotype, male. [USA], Washington, Yakima County, Satus Creek, 30 V [19]49, E. C. Johnston. CNC. Paratypes. 10 males, 3 females. USA: Washington: Kittitas County: Schnebly Coulee, 46.95°N, 120.09°W, 500 m, 2 VI 1990, L G Crabo leg (4 males, 2 females); same locality & collector, 3 VII 1990 (1 male); Schnebly Coulee, 46.955°, -120.095°, 500 m, 14 V 2010, L. G. Crabo leg.; Grant County: Wanapum Dam, 1.6 mi [2.6 km] N, 46.900°, -119.948°, 250 m, 14 V 2010, L. G. Crabo leg (1 m); Yakima County: Satus Creek, 30 V [19]49, E. C. Johnston, (2 m); same locality, date, & collector / Genitalia CNC slide # 17068 (1 m); same locality, date, & collector / Genitalia slide by P6 USNM 45.585 (1 f); same locality, date, & collector / Slide No. 10,789 (1 m). CNC, DLW, LGC.

The type series is restricted to Washington State.

Differential diagnosis.

Plagiomimicus yakama (Figs 11-13) is distinguished from the two other species in the P. tepperi species-group found in the United States in having an inconspicuous subapical spot, not darker than the adjacent medial area. Fresh P. tepperi (Figure 14) and P. mimica (not shown) are greener than P. yakama . Plagiomimicus incomitatus sp. n. (Figs 15, 16), only found in Mexico, has a dark smudged reniform stigma unlike the pale or absent stigma of P. yakama .

The ampullae of the male valve of P. yakama (Figs 17a, 18a) are nearly symmetrical, short and needlelike, arising perpendicular to the valve or at a slight angle. Those of P. tepperi (Figure 19a) and P. mimica (not shown) are longer, curved, and directed distad. Those of P. mimica are also asymmetrical. The female of P. yakama (Figure 21) has a longer and more strongly curved corpus bursae than P. tepperi (Figure 22).

The barcodes of P. yakama (BOLD:ACR9301) and P. tepperi (BOLD:AAF2198) differ by at least 1.63 %.

Description.

Nominate subspecies. Adults. Males and females similar in size and habitus. Head. Antenna filiform, ventral surface ciliate, dense (male), sparse (female); dorsal scales gray olive. Scape off-white. Eye round, bare. Frontal process sideways D-shaped, straight side ventrad, lateral and dorsal rims raised slightly, central process slightly caudal to “D” center, cone shaped, protruding slightly beyond edges; a transverse ridge caudal to process; frons and dorsal head scales short, tan off-white, palest near vertex. Labial palpus reaching dorsal eye, second segment long, third segment very short, scales short, light olive gray, darker than head. Haustellum normal. Thorax. Dorsum, including patagium and tegula, scales short, olive off-white; appearing uniform pale brownish olive gray similar to head and forewing base. Venter lighter. Legs: Pale olive gray; distal foretibia claw short, thornlike, tarsal segments equal length. Wings: Forewing: Length 11.5-12.5 mm; elongate with slightly pointed apex, lateral margin straight to CuA1, thence convex to posterior margin; scales mixed olive off-white, tan, and gray olive; base to antemedial line and basal postmedial area silver gray, distal postmedial area, terminal area, and subapical spot slightly darker gray, medial area dark olive gray; cubital vein basal to postmedial line slightly lighter; basal and medial lines absent; antemedial and postmedial lines white, wide, slightly indistinct; antemedial line oblique from mid-costa to inner third posterior margin, slightly convex; postmedial line from outer third costa to R5 angled strongly distad, bent basad acutely on R5 to cubital vein at end of cell, thence parallel to antemedial line to outer ⅓ of posterior margin; subterminal line pale gray, white adjacent to subapical spot, slightly sinuous; terminal line thin, slightly darker than terminal area or absent; subapical spot slightly lighter than medial area, elongate, cau dal margin smoothly convex; fringe olive off-white, base slightly darker; claviform and orbicular stigmata absent; reniform stigma absent or few pale anterior and darker posterior scales. Hindwing: Dorsum uniform medium gray, postmedial area slightly lighter in some specimens; terminal line thin, slightly darker; fringe whitish, base pale olive gray. Abdomen. Male lacking basal modifications; scales pale fuscous. Male genitalia: Uncus short, thick, curved slightly, point short, covered by sparse short fine setae. Juxta shield shape, height = width. Valve length 2.4-2.7 × width, simple, outer margin convex, apex blunt, medial surface with sparse fine setae; cucullus unmodified, corona absent; sacculus ⅔ × valve length, 0.4 × width, basal process short, spike like, perpendicular to valve, mesial dorsum variable, smooth or with short broad triangular process; clasper base weak, origin near ventral margin; ampulla short, 0.14-0.18 × valve width, right slightly longer, thin, acute, nearly perpendicular to valve; digitus absent. Phallus cylindrical, straight, length 4 × width; vesica as long and slightly wider than phallus, straight beyond basal 120° bend, mesial and distal surface with large patch of similar-sized basally directed spike-like cornuti. Female genitalia: Papilla analis 2 × segment A8 length, width 0.33 × length, sclerotized, distal ⅓ tapered evenly to acute apex, setae short, sparse, membrane to segment A8 leathery; posterior apophysis 3.3 × segment A8 length; anterior apophysis 0.8 × posterior apophysis; ostium bursae sclerotized, cup shaped, slightly wider than ductus bursae; ductus bursae 0.8 × segment A8 length, sclerotized lightly; corpus bursae elongate, length 3.5 × width, posterior ⅓ sclerotized; anterior ⅔ membranous, lacking signa, constricted mesially to width of ductus bursae, anterior end bulbous, curved slightly rightward; appendix bursae short, truncate, moderately sclerotized, joined broadly to corpus bursae at junction with ductus bursae; ductus seminalis at ventral apex.

Geographic variation.

Populations of P. yakama are arranged in northern and southern subspecies, described below.

Barcodes samples of P. yakama exist for Washington (n = 2), Utah (n = 3), Nevada (n = 1), Arizona (n = 6), and California (n = 3). Washington samples differ from the others by 0.3 %.

Etymology.

The name refers to the Yakama people, the original human inhabitants of the type locality of this moth. It is a noun in apposition. The spelling of the Yakama Nation differs from the more familiar spellings of the city of Yakima and Yakima County, Washington.

Distribution and ecology.

Plagiomimicus yakama is found in two separate parts of the American West (Figure 49). The nominate subspecies occurs on the Columbia Plateau. Subspecies Plagiomimicus yakama mojave is found 1000 km farther south in the southern Great Basin and Mojave Desert.

This moth flies in dry desert habitats with exposed soil and rocks, favoring those with varied topography such as rim rock, coulees, and arroyos. Where known, the larva of P. yakama feeds on Brickellia species. The larva of subspecies P. y. mojave is described below.

Adults fly during spring, from April to June, in all parts of the range. Southern populations have at least a partial fall brood.

Discussion.

Syntypes of Schinia tepperi Morrison, 1875 at MSU and the holotype of its synonym Plagiomimicus richii Grote, 1886 at NHML, both described from “Texas”, match examined material of Plagiomimicus tepperi from Texas, New Mexico, and southeastern and central Arizona. When restricted to these populations P. tepperi is uniform in habitus and structure. Barcodes of P. tepperi from southeast Arizona (n = 6) and New Mexico (n = 1) differ by 0.3 %. Barcodes of topotypical Texas populations have not been sampled. The range of P. tepperi extends northwards to Colorado.

In naming P. yakama and restricting P. tepperi in the above sense, the species in the P. tepperi species-group become more uniform well defined entities. However, ongoing rearing and molecular work by DLW and David Wagner suggest that there could be additional unrecognized cryptic species.