Agrotis elegans Kohler 1945
Creators: name: Blas, Germán San
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Agrotis
Agrotis elegans

description: Agrotis elegans (Köhler, 1945)
(Figs 14, 15, 51, 69, 82, 99)
Euxoa elegans Köhler, 1945: 89, fig. 7a. Holotype: ♂ [Argentina] Tierra del Fuego (ZSM). Image examined. Allotype: ♀ same locality (MACN). Examined.
Scotia elegans (Köhler): Köhler, 1967: 302 (new combination).
Agrotis elegans (Köhler): Poole, 1989: 47 (new combination).
Diagnosis. Agrotis elegans differs from other South American species of Agrotis by the following combination of characters: 1) patagium concolorous with thorax and tegulum lighter than thorax; 2) claviform spot wide; 3) posterior margin of reniform spot prolonged basally through medial vein; 4) in male genitalia vesica 6–7 × as long as aedeagus; 5) in female genitalia posterior apophysis 2 × as long as anterior apophysis; and 6) corpus bursae 8 × as long as anterior apophysis.
Redescription. Male (Fig. 14). Head. Palpus whitish ventrally; frons central projection small, with raised edge of rough surface, projected anteriorly into a point, some specimens without this projection. Antenna basal 2/3 biserrate, widest at 1/5 its length, gradually tapering to apex, widest segment 2 × as wide as central shaft, anterior process 2 × as wide as posterior process. Thorax. Patagium with black medial line, some specimens with light gray submarginal line; tegulum gray, with black basal and submarginal lines. Forewing length 15.7–17.8 mm; ground color grayish brown to dark grayish brown; veins undifferentiated; subcostal band undifferentiated; basal area diffuse gray; basal line black, double, convex between veins; antemedial line black, double, basal margin diffuse, convex between veins, strongly extended as a sharp tooth between 1A+2A vein and posterior margin, coming near to medial line; claviform spot wide, dark grayish brown and black edged; orbicular spot variable in size, strongly oval, extending toward reniform spot, never contiguous, light brown, black edged with grayish brown center; reniform spot concolorous with orbicular spot, posterior margin prolonged basally through medial vein, distal margin never attached to postmedial line, with a streak extending between M1–M2 veins to postmedial line; discal cell concolorous with ground color, with a black streak of variable width joining both spots; medial line faint, as a dark thick waved band; postmedial line black, single, concave between veins, distally edged by a light shade; subterminal line light brown and black edged, concave between veins, extended basally as arrows, longest ones between M1–M2–M3 veins, arrows never contiguous with reniform streak; terminal line a series of darkish lunulae between veins; fringe light brown. Hind wing from fully iridescent to iridescent with veins and margins diffuse light brown; fringe iridescent. Abdomen. Concolorous with forewing ground color. Genitalia (Fig. 51). Clavus barely differentiated as an area of piliform setae. Ampulla 1/5 × as long as valve, basal 1/3 expanded, then narrowed to 1/3 its widest diameter; saccus subtriangular. Vesica (Fig. 69) 6–7 × as long as aedeagus, consisting of 1 1/2 wide loop, right basal diverticulum subtriangular, basal spined band present, vesica gradually swollen on apical 1/4, in some specimens it duplicates minor diameter. Female (Fig. 15). Differences from male. Forewing length: 16.3–18.2 mm; antenna filiform; hind wing diffuse dark brown with light brown fringe. Genitalia (Fig. 82). Posterior apophysis 2 × as long as anterior apophysis; ductus bursae 4 × as long as anterior apophysis; corpus bursae 8 × as long as anterior apophysis, signum absent, apex globose; appendix bursae 4 × as long as corpus bursae, consisting of 1 1/2 wide loop, apex globose; ductus seminalis originating laterally very close to corpus bursae apex.
Distribution. Restricted to Argentinean Patagonia (Fig. 99).
Material examined. (47 ♂, 11 ♀). ARGENTINA: Neuquén. Arroyo Pantojo, 1100m, ♂ ♀ 12-I-1985 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA); Chapelco, Refugio Graeff, 1750m, ♀ 12-I-1977 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), ♂ 26-XII-1980 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Chapelco Lenga, 1700m, ♂ 11-I-1983 (M y P. Gentili) (IADIZA); Copahue, 1925m, ♂ ♀ 18-I- 1964 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), ♀ 24-I-1969 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), ♀ 25-I-1969 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), ♂ 20-II- 1973 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), ♂ ♀ 16-I-1980 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Cordón Chapelco, 1750m, 4 ♀ 3-I-1967 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), ♂ 1-I-1982 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA), 2 ♂ 12-I-1982 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA), 15 ♂ ♀ 11- I-1983 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA), 20 ♂ 22-I-1985 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA); Moquehue Icalma, 1250m, 2 ♂ 2- III-1984 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA); Pampa Quillen, 1250m, ♂ 12-XII-1967 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA).
description: Published as part of Blas, Germán San, 2014, Agrotis Ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae): a systematic analysis of South American species, pp. 1-64 in Zootaxa 3771 (1) on pages 22-23, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3771.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/285634