Corresponding author: J. Donald Lafontaine (
Academic editor: C. Schmidt
The genus
Lafontaine JD, Walsh JB, Ferris CD (2014) A revision of the genus
The genus
Specimens were examined from the following collections:
American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
Arizona Western College Collection, Yuma, Arizona, USA
The Natural History Museum [statutorily, British Museum (Natural History)], London, UK
Personal collection of Clifford D. Ferris, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids, and Nematodes, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Cornell University Insect Collection, Ithaca, New York, USA
The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Personal collection of Ian A. Watkinson, Yuma, Arizona, USA
Personal collection of J. Bruce Walsh, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Texas
National Museum of Natural History (formerly, United States National Museum), Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Adults of
Most species are associated with relatively xeric habitats, but not open deserts, preferring open, dry shrubby or forested areas, especially with pines or fir. The larvae hide in the leaf litter during the day and feed at night on a variety of herbs and low-growing shrubs. The species overwinter as partly grown larvae and emerge as adults between spring and autumn. Adults are nocturnal. The larva can be associated with the tribe
1 | Eye surface hairy (dissecting scope or strong magnifying lens needed); male antenna biserrate to bipectinate; vesica in male genitalia 1–2 × as long as aedeagus; anal papillae mainly smooth, setose only apically ( |
2 |
– | Eye surface smooth, hairless; male antenna filiform; vesica in male genitalia 4–5 × as long as aedeagus; anal papillae setose throughout ( |
30 |
2 | Male | 3 |
– | Female | 17 |
3 | Male antenna bipectinate; pectinations (at least on anterior side) longer that width of antennal shaft and parallel sided | 4 |
– | Male antenna biserrate; serrations no longer that width of antennal shaft and tapered to a point | 13 |
4 | Anterior antennal pectinations about 1.5 × as long as shaft width | 5 |
– | Anterior antennal pectinations 2–5 × as long as shaft width | 8 |
5 | Hindwing pearly white basally with increasing fuscous shading distally and on veins; forewing orbicular spot rounded, defined by black outline; vesica without a basal cornutus or diverticula; mainly southwestern (Texas to California and Mexico), and farther north in western US to southern Oregon |
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– | Hindwing pale fuscous basally, darker fuscous distally, forewing orbicular spot usually obscure or absent; vesica with large basal cornutus and several diverticula | 6 |
6 | Forewing dark gray brown with fine black streaks; maculation obscure except for black spot in lower part of reniform spot and a series of minute black wedges defining straight subterminal line; western Great Plains (Alberta to Colorado) and Great Basin (Idaho to Utah, Nevada, eastern California) |
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– | Forewing varying shades of gray, brown, and reddish brown; subterminal line pale, sometimes with diffuse dark wedges on inner margin of line | 7 |
7 | Forewing gray brown, buffy brown, or reddish brown; subterminal line sinuate near middle; clasper of male with small swollen area immediately above base; widespread in open xeric habitats in Great Plains and southwestern US and locally in Great Basin and Great Lakes States |
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– | Forewing rusty brown; subterminal line straight or slightly curved; clasper of male with elongated swollen area centered on basal third; widespread in dry forested areas from British Columbia to southern California, extending eastward to western Montana and Ruby Mountains of Nevada |
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8 | Anterior pectinations (rami) of male antenna 4 × as long as central shaft; reniform spot on forewing inconspicuous except for three or four white spots on outer margin; digitus long and tapered; Arizona |
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– | Anterior pectinations of male antenna 2 × as long as central shaft; reniform spot on forewing darker than ground color and surrounded by pale outline; digitus short and swollen subapically | 9 |
9 | Male hindwing white with some fuscous shading on wing margin and veins; basal part of vesica with swollen lobes projecting to each side; western Texas to southern Utah and California |
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– | Male hindwing fuscous; basal part of vesica cylindrical | 10 |
10 | Dorsal margin of valve with elongated spine-covered process extending to base of clasper; Edwards Plateau of west-central Texas and Mexico | 11 |
– | Dorsal margin of valve without spiny process | 12 |
11 | Forewing brown or gray brown; hindwing fuscous on outer half; clasper with ventral process tapered to blunt point; Edwards Plateau of west-central Texas to southern Mexico (Chiapas) |
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– | Forewing pale whitish gray; hindwing white; clasper with ventral process broad and spatulate apically; known only from Guadalajara, Mexico |
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12 | Forewing reddish brown or purplish brown; reniform spot with rounded edges, kidney shaped; coil in vesica near base; occurring across Canada and northern United States southward in the East to northern Florida and in the West in the Rocky Mountain region to Colorado and Utah |
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– | Forewing gray brown with dusting of white scales and white-lined maculation giving wing a frosted appearance; reniform spot parallel sided, rectangular; coil in vesica near middle; eastern Texas |
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13 | Forewing with black basal dash and black streak distal to reniform spot; hindwing white with dark terminal line; male genitalia with clasper swollen mesially; New Mexico, east-central Arizona |
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– | Forewing without a basal dash or dark streak distal to reniform spot; hindwing fuscous; male genitalia with clasper even in width | 14 |
14 | Forewing orange with transverse lines prominent; reniform spot with lower half very large and filled with dark-gray shading; sacculus lightly sclerotized; western Texas to southeastern Arizona and southern Mexico |
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– | Forewing variable; transverse lines usually obscure; reniform spot kidney shaped, lower part not larger; dorso-posterior part of sacculus heavily sclerotized and spiculate | 15 |
15 | Forewing ground color burnt orange, darker on costa with fine white crosslines; valve long, narrow subapically; digitus lightly sclerotized and not extending ventral to lower margin of valve; Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, western Texas |
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– | Forewing variable; costal area not particularly darker and without fine white crosslines on costa; valve broad, expanded subapically; digitus heavily sclerotized and extending below ventral margin of valve | 16 |
16 | Forewing reddish brown, orange brown, or pale gray brown; digitus projecting posteroventrally below ventral margin of valve; Washington to southwestern California |
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– | Forewing pale gray brown; digitus projecting anteroventrally below ventral margin of valve; western Texas to south-central California and central Mexico |
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17 | Forewing with black basal dash and black streak distal to reniform spot; New Mexico, eastern Arizona |
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– | Forewing without a basal dash or dark streak distal to reniform spot | 18 |
18 | Forewing orange with transverse lines prominent; reniform spot with lower half very large and filled with dark-gray shading; western Texas to southeastern Arizona and southern Mexico |
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– | Forewing variable; transverse lines usually obscure; reniform spot kidney shaped, lower part not larger | 19 |
19 | Ductus bursae with enlarged sclerotized area anterior to ostium | 20 |
– | Ductus bursae cylindrical or tapered anteriorly from ostium | 24 |
20 | Reniform and orbicular spots defined by pale outline | 21 |
– | Outline of reniform and orbicular spots with dark and light elements | 22 |
21 | Anterior 2/3 of ductus bursae with longitudinal sclerotized ridges; Washington to southwestern California |
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– | Anterior part of ductus bursae membranous; western Texas to south-central California and central Mexico |
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22 | Forewing dark gray brown with fine black streaks; maculation obscure except for black spot in lower part of reniform spot and a series of minute black wedges defining straight subterminal line; western Great Plains (Alberta to Colorado) and Great Basin (Idaho to Utah, Nevada, eastern California) |
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– | Forewing varying shades of gray, brown, and reddish brown; subterminal line pale, sometimes with diffuse dark wedges on inner margin of line | 23 |
23 | Forewing gray brown, buffy brown, or reddish brown; subterminal line sinuate near middle; widespread in open xeric habitats in Great Plains and southwestern US and locally in Great Basin and Great Lakes States |
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– | Forewing rusty brown; subterminal line straight or slightly curved; widespread in dry forested areas from British Columbia to southern California, extending eastward in northern US to western Montana and Ruby Mountains of Nevada |
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24 | Ductus bursae with sclerotized plate on each side projecting posteriorly over ostium | 25 |
– | Ductus bursae without specialized plates projecting posteriorly | 28 |
25 | Sclerotized plates fused centrally to form a double-lobed plate over ventral part of ostium; west-central Texas to southern Mexico (Chiapas) [female of |
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– | Sclerotized plates on each side of ductus bursae with middle part of ductus membranous | 26 |
26 | Forewing light gray brown; central part of ductus bursae with smooth heavily-sclerotized plate; western Texas to southern Utah and California |
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– | Forewing brown to reddish brown; central part of ductus bursae with lightly-sclerotized transversely-striated plate | 27 |
27 | Forewing reddish brown or purplish brown; reniform spot with rounded edges, kidney shaped; eastern North America west to Texas, Utah, and British Columbia |
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– | Forewing gray brown with dusting of white scales and white-lined maculation giving wing a frosted appearance; reniform spot parallel sided, rectangular; Gulf Coast area of Texas |
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28 | Ductus bursae mainly membranous with a sclerotized ring at posterior end; Arizona |
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– | Posterior ¾ of ductus bursae heavily sclerotized | 29 |
29 | Forewing with reniform and orbicular spots outlined in white; hindwing fuscous; Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, western Texas |
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– | Forewing with reniform and orbicular spots outlined in black; hindwing white basally with increasing fuscous shading distally and on veins; mainly southwestern (Texas to California and northern Mexico), farther north in western US to southern Oregon |
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30 | Forewing with medial line forming broad dark area from reniform spot to postmedial line; male genitalia with digitus broad and foot-like apically; southeastern Arizona |
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– | Forewing with medial line, if present, a thin line extending down from reniform spot; male genitalia with digitus narrow and tapered apically | 31 |
31 | Forewing with orbicular spot pale and contrasting, outlined in black; male genitalia with dorsal process of sacculus almost square, so posterior margin of process straight or slightly curved; Texas to California northward to Oregon and Nevada |
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– | Forewing with transverse lines usually sharply defined in black against a dull-gray or gray-brown ground color; medial line present; male genitalia with posterior margin of dorsal process of sacculus with posteriorly-directed lobe toward top of process; southwestern California |
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Distribution of examined material for
Adults of
The name of this species is derived from the silvery-gray ground color of the forewing. This, in combination with the prominent black basal dash on the forewing and the white somewhat translucent hindwing, make this the easiest species of
Distribution of examined material for
This species is both Texan and Mexican, thus the name
The immature stages are unknown.
This species is known only from Mexico, thus the species name
The female and immature stages are unknown. The species is known only from the type locality where the holotype was collected in late April.
The name
The name
Syntypes 4 ♂, 3 ♀, USNM, examined. Type locality: Arizona, Redington.
Males of
Distribution of examined material for
The generic name
The genus
The only species of
USA (Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington).
A peculiar form of
This species is named after the Molino Basin on Mt Lemmon where most of the type series was collected. The name is a noun in apposition.
We thank David Grimaldi (American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY), Martin Honey (Natural History Museum, London, UK), Michael Pogue (Systematic Entomology Laboratory, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC), for the loan of specimens. We also thank James Boone (FMNH, Chicago, Illinois) for providing photographs of the type material of
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* Numbers adapted from Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010) check list
** Mexico only