Catocala benjamini jumpi Hawks, 2010

Hawks, David, 2010, Review of the Catocala delilah species complex (Lepidoptera, Erebidae), ZooKeys 39 (39), pp. 13-35 : 24-25

Catocala benjamini jumpi Hawks , ssp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EA01B04C-27EE-4604-83C5-7AF5696A3A6F

Figs 11, 12

Type material. Holotype ♁ (Fig. 11, PMNH specimen #ENT 721047; FW length 21 mm), allotype ♀ (Fig. 12, PMNH specimen #ENT 721048; FW length 23 mm): Kofa Queen Canyon, 900 m, Kofa Mountains , Yuma County, Arizona, 27 May 1989, leg. D. C. Hawks. Paratypes (14 ♁ 16 ♀): 1 ♁ 6 ♀ from type locality, 29 May 1981, P.M. Jump; 13 ♁ 10 ♀ from type locality, 27 May 1989, D.C. Hawks. Th e remainder are from Palm Canyon, Kofa Mountains (6 ♁ l ♀, leg. G. Butler & D. Tuttle, 29 May 1955; 1 ♁ l ♀, leg. D. C. Hawks, 3 June 1985) . Holotype and allotype deposited at PMNH, paratypes deposited at LACM and other USA museums as well as in private collections.

Diagnosis. C. benjamini jumpi differs from other C. benjamini subspecies in having pale dusky-yellow hindwing bands; forewings distinctly narrower and more point- ed; lines less distinct; ventral surface yellow areas paler; black hindwing bands tend to be wider; inner band, outer band, and anal spot sometimes fused.

Description. Forewing: narrow and pointed; dorsal surface with black, darkbrown, tan, and beige scales, few scales iridescent bluish or purplish; antemedial line black, edges indistinct; reniform black, subreniform usually beige, variable in size; apical yellowish area suffused with black; fringes gray, checkered with black. Hindwing: dorsal surface with pale-brown scales suffusing much of basal area; medial band dull pale yellowish; fringe yellowish tan with black checkering; bands black; ventral surface pale dusky yellow; fringe pale yellowish beige checkered with black; inner band usually only slightly narrower than on dorsal surface.

Etymology. The subspecies is named in honor of Peter M. Jump, who introduced the author to this unique population of C. benjamini , and who collected seven of the type specimens.

Distribution and biology. Catocala benjamini jumpi is known only from the Kofa Mountains of southwestern Arizona. Th e Kofa Mountains and the nearby Castle Dome Mountains are separated from the nearest known suitable locality for C. benjamini by about 140 km. Th e oaks ( Q. turbinella ) occurring in these two mountain ranges are notably disjunct in the overall range of this oak. Adults have been collected only in late May and early June. Larvae likely feed exclusively on Quercus turbinella since this is the only oak occurring in the area.