Protoperigea parvulata Mustelin, NEW SPECIES
Creators: name: Mustelin, Tomas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2006
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Protoperigea
Protoperigea parvulata

description: Protoperigea parvulata Mustelin, NEW SPECIES
Figs. 11, 39 a, 39b, and 73
Type material. Holotype: Male, Mount Palomar, Road to Observatory, San Diego County, California, 1500 m, 13­15 September 1998, T. Mustelin & N. Bloomfield. Paratypes: 31 males and 14 females. CALIFORNIA: San Diego County: Same locality and collectors as holotype, 22–24 September 1998 (1 male), 29 August–4 September 1999 (2 males); Laguna Mountains, 8 August 1999 (1 female); Miramar Air Station, 8 November 1995 (1 male), 10 November 1996 (1 female), October­November 1996, N. Bloomfield (1 male); Banner Grade, 1000 m, 2 November 1997, T. Mustelin (1 female); Jacumba, 1000 m, 30 September 2000, T. Mustelin (1 male); Silverwood Wildlife Sanctuary, 500 m, 19 September 1986, G. Cosgrove (1 female), 300 m, 15 October 1991, R. Leuschner (1 male, 4 females); Pala, 150 m, 5 November 1983, R. Leuschner (1 female); Warner’s, September 1919, G. Field (2 males); Oak Grove, Rt. 79, 7 October 1977, F. Sala (1 male). Los Angeles County: Gorman, US Route 99, 7 October 1959, F. Sala (1 male); Carnavon Way, 27 October 1965 (1 male), 10 December 1982 (1 female), ex larva, emerged 7 April (1 female), 14 May (1 male), 29 June 1970, F. Sala (1 male); Verdugo Hills, 9 October 1952, F. Sala (1 female); Singing Springs, Angeles Forest, 14 September 1969, F. Sala (1 female); Agua Dulce, 1 November 1969, F. Sala; Giant Lemon, Ridge Route, 11 October 1958, F. Sala (1 female); Burbank, 27 October 1961 (1 female), 30 October 1961, 9 November 1953 (1 male), 12 November 1960 (1 male); Mint Canyon, 1 November 1969 (1 male); Chilao area, San Gabriel Mountains, 21 October 1962 (1 female), 10 October 1963 (1 male, 1 female), F. Sala; Roscoe, 27 October 1965 (1 male); Buckhorn Flats, 2000 m, 14 September 1957, R. Leuschner (1 female); Charleton Flats, 1500 m, 27 September 1964, R. Leuschner (1 female). Ventura County: Cuyama Valley, Apache Canyon, 1500 m, 11 September 1999 (1 male), 19 September 1998 (1 male), 26 September 1997 (2 males); Upper Ojai Valley, 600 m, 15 October 1999, T. E. Dimock (10 males); Pine Mountain, 1,900 m, 4 October 1997, T. E. Dimock (1 male, 1 female); Wheeler Hot Springs, 500 m, 18 October 1975 (1 female), 1 November 1970 (1 male), R. Leuschner. San Bernardino County: Onyx Summit, San Bernardino Mountains, N32°11.52’, W116°43.08’, 24 September 2003 (1 male), T. Mustelin. Kern County: near Castiac, Ridge Route, 24 September 1949, F. Sala (1 male); Gorman, Ridge Route, 29 September 1964, R. Leuschner (1 female). MEXICO: Baja California Norte: 12 km north of Mike’s Sky Ranch, 16­18 October 1989, N. Bloomfield (1 female). Holotype and genitalic slides #140/TM and #199/TM deposited in SDNHM, paratypes in SDNHM, CNC, UCR (UCRC ENT 0032499­0032515), and the private collections of L. Crabo, T. Dimock, R. Leuschner, F. Sala, J. Troubridge, and the author.
Etymology. The specific name parvulata means small or insignificant and refers to the smaller size and less robust build of this species compared to the two preceding species.
Diagnosis. On average, this is smaller and less robust than its congeners. In most specimens, the thorax and abdomen are clearly much thinner than in the two first species (Fig. 11 a). The forewing is more uniform gray brown with narrow, weak, darker antemedial and postmedial lines, the latter running close to the reniform spot, which is filled with black scales (Fig. 11 b). The hindwing is pale with some darker shading (c, Fig. 11). The male valve is more similar to that of P. p o s t i c a t a (Harvey, 1875) than to any other species of this genus (compare Fig. 37 a and 39a). However, the size of the cucullus is proportionately smaller and the everted vesica (Fig. 39 b) has a different shape and fewer spines than in posticata (Fig. 37 b).
Description. Antenna finely ciliate in males, filiform in females; palpus covered with thin dark brown scales, apex pale; head, collar and thorax covered with uniformly brown gray hairlike scales, venter with hairlike scales concolorous with dorsum; abdomen covered with pale tan scales, venter concolorous with dorsum; forewing ground color brown gray, maculation weak; orbicular and claviform spots missing; reniform spot outlined with very few pale scales, filled with darker than ground color; antemedial line dark brown, weak, dark dot on costa; mid­median line very weak, dark dot on costa; postmedial line black, thin, dark dot on costa; subterminal line serrate, dark, dark­shaded inward; terminal line dark between veins; fringe concolorous with ground color; ventral side uniformly gray brown. Hindwing whitish, faint subterminal shade in brown; terminal line brown, fringe whitish; ventral side as in dorsal side, but with discal spot. Male genitalia (Figs. 39 a and 39b): Juxta round; valve length 3.8 mm, width at middle 1.1 mm, broad, bent 20° dorsally, constricted after angle; cucullus a dorsal fingerlike projection at 30° ventral angle, apex broader, width 0.3 mm; slender projection from valve (pollex) 0.8 mm long and curved; aedeagus length 4.0 mm, width 0.6 mm tapering to 0.4 mm distally, slender and curved; everted vesica length 4.7 mm, width 0.8 mm basally, 0.8 mm at middle tapering to 0.5 mm distally, at 120° angle to aedeagus, laterally with two patches of small cornuti. Female genitalia (Fig. 73): Ovipositor lobes small, 0.8 x 0.15 mm, oval, weakly sclerotized; posterior apophyses 2.55 mm long, anterior apophyses 1.5 mm long; broad Ushaped sclerotized plate at 8th sternite; ductus bursae approximately 2.0 mm long, 0.75 mm wide, flat, moderately sclerotized, curves to right; corpus bursae 4.2 x 3.0 mm, consists of two lobes, triangular flap near junction with ductus bursae, signa absent; ductus seminalis arises from left posterior corpus bursae.
Distribution and habitat. Protoperigea parvulata appears to be endemic to southern California; specimens have been collected from coastal chaparral to oak forests as high as 2000 m in the mountains of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Kern counties. The flight period is late August–November.
description: Published as part of Mustelin, Tomas, 2006, Taxonomy of southern California Erebidae and Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) with descriptions of twenty one new species, pp. 1-47 in Zootaxa 1278 on pages 24-25, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.273509