Psectrotarsia suavis H. Edwards, new combination
Creators: name: Pogue, Michael G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Psectrotarsia
Psectrotarsia suavis

description: Psectrotarsia suavis (H. Edwards), new combination
(Figs. 2, 8–9, 18–19, 27, 32)
Heliothis suavis H. Edwards, 1884: 45.— Smith, 1891: 53.— Smith, 1893: 271.— Grote, 1895: 66.— Dyar, 1903: 186. Erythroecia suavis; Hampson, 1910: 57.— McDunnough, 1938: 98.— Franclemont and Todd, 1983: 158.— Poole, 1989: 380.— Matthews, 1991: 19.— Poole and Gentilli, 1996: 739.— Hardwick, 1996: 40.
Diagnosis. Psectrotarsia suavis has the forewing ground color dominantly yellow with bright pink markings, in contrast to P. h e b a rd i (Skinner), P. euposis (Dyar), and P. rhodophora (Hampson) where the pink markings dominate the forewing color.
Redescription. Male. Head: Frons bulging, rugose, with minute white scales between ridges (Fig. 2), scales hairlike and pink; labial palp appressed, scales pink, hairlike scales at base under eye white; antenna pink dorsally to middle then becomes white, lateral scales white; scape pink dorsally, white ventrally; eyes large and globular. Thorax: Patagium and prothorax with pink hairlike scales; tegula a mixture of yellow narrow and hairlike scales; mesothorax with broad pink band extending into metathorax, bordered laterally with yellow; foreleg with femur brown mediad, white laterad, long pink and white hairlike scales ventrad, foretibia pink, armature variable, absent or with strong, curved spine on lateral surface of one or both foretibiae, tarsi white; middle leg with femur white, tibia pink, tarsi white; hind leg with femur white, tibia mostly white with pale pink shading, tarsi white; prosternum mixed pink and white, meta- and mesosterna white. Forewing length 13.7–17.3 mm (n = 6); ground color yellow; costa from base to terminal area pink with faint white spots; antemedial line pink with joined irregular spots; orbicular spot pink, round, in middle of discal cell; reniform spot pink; subterminal line pink, broad, with joined irregular spots; fringe pink; underside ground color pale yellow; costa and subapical patch pink; orbicular and reniform spots gray; subterminal line broad, faint, pale gray. Hindwing ground color pale yellowish white to white; wide marginal band varies from absent to covering almost entire wing and varies from gray on heavily marked specimens to pinkish gray on lighter marked specimens. Abdomen: Dorsal surface and genital tuft buff-colored; ventral surface white. Genitalia (Figs. 18–19) with uncus elongate, approximately 0.38X length of valve; apex pointed; valve broad, length 5.9X width, costal margin straight, posterior margin straight, apex round; ampulla elongate, 0.25X length of valve; corona with more than 10 setae; sacculus with ventral margin produced; juxta ovate with dorsal and ventral margins excavated; saccus V-shaped; aedoeagus slightly bent at middle, apex pointed; vesica Y-shaped when viewed dorsally, diverticulum lacking cornuti, left diverticulum bearing a long apical cornutus, base of left diverticulum with a small round diverticulum having a short apical cornutus.
Female. Head, Thorax: As in male, except forewing length 16.2–16.6 mm (n = 6). Abdomen: Genitalia (Figs. 27, 32) with papilla analis fleshy, apex rounded; posterior apophysis 0.80–0.90X anterior apophysis, narrow; ductus bursae sclerotized and heavily striated in distal 0.33; appendix bursae present as undifferentiated cephalad extension of corpus bursae; corpus bursae large, kidney-shaped; signa absent.
Lectotype. Male, Las Vegas, N. M., H. Meeske, [18]’89. Barnes Collection. Lectotype Heliothis suavis Hy. Edwards, designated by Hardwick 1996 [red label]. Deposited in USNM.
Distribution and Biology. This is a western Great Plains species that occurs from southwestern South Dakota, extreme northeastern and western Nebraska, northern and southwestern Kansas, eastern Colorado, New Mexico east of the Rocky Mountains, southern Arizona, and the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas as well as in south central and southwestern Texas (Fig. 36). There are two records from Mexico without a specific locality data, from the states of Chihuahua (Hardwick, 1996) and San Luis Potosi.Larval host is unknown.
Material Examined. 44m, 19f. MEXICO: SAN LUIS POTOSI: Matchuala, 19 Sep. 1967 (1f), S.D. Webb (MCLR). U.S. A: ARIZONA: COCHISE CO. No specific locality (1m), Barnes Coll.; Huachuca Mountains, Ash Canyon Rd., 1/ 2 mi w Highway 92, Lot 4, Aug. 1980 (1m), N. McFarland; Huachuca Mountains, Ash Canyon, 9 Aug. 1991 (1m), D.C. Ferguson; Hereford, 14 July (1m), C.R. Biederman; Huachuca Mountains, (1m), Barnes Coll. MARICOPA CO. No specific locality (1m), Barnes Coll. PIMA CO. Baboquivari Mountains, 1–15 Aug. (2 m), O.C. Poling, 15 Aug. 1923 (1m). SANTA CRUZ CO. Santa Rita Mountains, 26 July 1925 (2m), Coll. Brooklyn Museum. YAVAPAI CO. Douglas, 8-15 Aug. (1f), Barnes Coll. COLORADO: No specific locality (1m), Oslar. BACA CO. S end of Springfield, Hwy. 385/287, 4409 ft., 26 Aug. 2002, M.G. Pogue and C.E. Harp; Picture Canyon, SW of Campo, 4290 ft., 25 Aug. 2004 (1f), M.G. Pogue. CHAFFEE CO. Poncha Springs, 8–15 July (2f), genitalia slide USNM 46526, Barnes Coll. LAR- IMER CO. Ft. Collins, (1m); PUEBLO CO. W of Pueblo, 23 Aug. 1957, M. May (MCLR). KANSAS: ELLIS CO. Hays, 3 Sep. 1935 (1m, 1f), 30 Sep. 1935 (2m), genitalia slide USNM 49742, H.H. Walkden. HODGE- MAN CO. [no specific locality], 17–25 July 1917 (1f) (SMEK). KIOWA CO. 5 mi S Greensburg, 25 Aug. 1993 (1m), G. Salsbury (SMEK); 5 mi SE Greenburg, 11 June 1993 (1f), 8 Aug. 1993 (1m), 5 Sep. 1994 (1f), G. Salsbury (SMEK). RILEY CO. Manhattan, (1f), H.H. Walkden. SCOTT CO. Scott City, 22 June 1934 (1m). NEBRASKA: CEDAR CO. Randolph (UCD). DEUEL CO. Chappell, 29 July 1951 (1f), R. Leuschner. PLATTE CO. Columbus, 29 Aug. (2m), 15 July 1963 (1f), E.A. Froemel. SCOTTS BLUFF CO. Scottsbluff, 19 Aug. 1967 (2m) (CSC). NEW MEXICO: No specific locality (3m), Coll. Brooklyn Museum; southern, 23–30 Aug. (1m), O.C. Poling. LUNA CO. Deming, 1– 7 Sep. (1m). OTERO CO. High Rolls, (1m), Barnes Coll. SAN MIGUEL CO. near Hot Springs, Las Vegas, 7000 ft., Aug. 1882 (1m), F.H. Snow. UNION CO. Clayton, 4.4 mi S of Hwy 87 on 402, 4855 ft., 23 Aug. 2004 (2m), M.G. Pogue. OKLAHOMA: CIMARRON CO. Black Mesa State Park, east end of primitive area, 4312 ft., 24 Aug. 2004 (1f), M.G. Pogue. SOUTH DAKOTA: PENNINGTON CO. North Rim, Sage Creek Basin, White River Badlands, 7 July 1964 (1m), D.C. Ferguson. TEXAS: BREWSTER CO. Alpine, 9 Sep. 1963 (2m), 10 Sep. 1963 (1m), A. & M.E. Blanchard, 1926 (1f), genitalia USNM 49743, O.C. Poling. CULBERSON CO. Guadalupe Mtns., Pine Canyon, 5700 ft., 28 Aug. 1967 (2m), A. & M.E. Blanchard; Guadalupe Mtns., Bear Canyon, 5400 ft., 3 Sep. 1969 (1f), A. & M.E. Blanchard; Sierra Diablo Wildlife Management Area, 6000 ft., 30 Aug. 1970 (1f), 31 Aug. 1970 (1 f), A. & M.E. Blanchard. JEFF DAVIS CO. Fort Davis, 24 Aug. 1967 (3m, 1f), 28 Aug. 1964 (1m, 1f), 28 Aug. 1970 (1m), A. & M.E. Blanchard; Mount Locke, Davis Mountains, 25 July 1967 (1m), A. & M.E. Blanchard. KIMBLE CO. Junction, 19 Sep. 1968 (1m), A. & M.E. Blanchard. TERRELL CO. Sanderson, 28 Sep. 1980 (1f), genitalia slide USNM 49745, A. & M.E. Blanchard, (1m) E. Knudson (MCLR). All specimens deposited in USNM unless otherwise indicated.
Discussion. Recently collected specimens have been from short grass prairie habitats in southeastern Colorado, the panhandle of Oklahoma, northeastern New Mexico, and western Texas.
description: Published as part of Pogue, Michael G., 2007, Revision of the Genus Psectrotarsia Dognin, 1907 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Heliothinae), pp. 1-19 in Zootaxa 1637 on pages 4-6, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.179565