Sympistis lachrymosa Troubridge 2008, sp. n.
Creators: name: Troubridge, J. T.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Sympistis
Sympistis lachrymosa

description: Sympistis lachrymosa Troubridge sp. n.   
(Figs. B-15, K-8, P-8)  
 Diagnosis. The only species with which S. lachrymosa could be confused is Sympistis simplex (Smith) comb. n. (Fig. B-14). Both species have a brown forewing, dark hindwing terminal shade, and teardrop shaped orbicular spots. In S. simplex, the hindwing terminal shade reaches the anal angle but falls short in S. lachrymosa males. In S. lachrymosa, the forewing has a black dash that extends from the reniform spot to the subterminal line and a second black dash that extends from the claviform spot to the base of the forewing, both of which are absent in S. simplex.   
 Description. Antennae filiform; head, vertex, thorax, and abdomen brown. Prothoracic collar tan with subterminal and subbasal black lines. Tegulae tan with subterminal black line. Forewing length 17-18 mm. Dorsal forewing ground color tan to grayish brown; black undulating antemedial line and postmedial lines thinly bordered with off-white scales; off-white subterminal line irregular, bordered basally with narrow black chevrons between veins -chevrons tipped distally with off-white scales; terminal line consists of a series of small black chevrons between veins; orbicular, reniform, and claviform spots well demarcated with thin black outer and off-white inner lines; black basal dash reaches claviform spot; fringe brown, with off-white at tips of veins. Dorsal hindwing white with minute black discal dot; dark grayish brown terminal shade complete and sharply defined in females, narrower and incomplete in males, extending from veins Sc+R1 to CuA2; fringe grayish brown basally, white distally. Male genitalia. (Fig. K-8) Valve resembles prow of canoe, widest just beyond clasper, then gently tapered to cucullus; ampulla of clasper extends dorsally at right angles to ventral margin of valve, tapers evenly to apex near dorsal margin of valve. Vesica sweeps 90° ventrally with a small basal diverticulum; a ribbon of cornuti extends from dorsal surface at diverticulum along posterior surface to tip, and then back on the left side toward base; a second ribbon of long, dense cornuti located on right side of vesica; single apical cornutus and small bundle at apex. Female genitalia. (Fig. P-8) Ovipositor lobes rounded with scattered setae; a corona of short setae surrounds the ovipositor lobes about 0.1 mm from tip, these setae are produced at 90° to the abdomen; a sclerite occurs on ventral surface of ductus bursae at ostium bursae, ductus bursae otherwise not heavily sclerotized; appendix bursae 2x as long as wide, with ductus seminalis at anterior end; corpus bursae with two elongate signae extends from left of appendix bursae and is slightly larger than appendix bursae.   
 Type material. Holotype male: USA: New Mexico, Socorro Co., mi. 91-93 Hwy. 60, vic. VLA site, sandy soil, 25 ix 2003, George J. Balogh, in the CNC. Paratypes: 12♂ 9♀: New Mexico, same data as holotype, 1♂ 1♀; Sierra Co., Elephant Butte, 17 x 2001, George J. Balogh, 1♀; Chaves Co., North Mescalero Dunes, BLM Recreation Area, 18 x 2001, George J. Balogh, 2♂ 1♀; Luna Co., Deming, 10 x 1999, H. Rietz, 2♂ 3♀; Luna Co., Deming, 8 x 1999, H. Rietz, 1♂. Texas: El Paso Co., El Paso, West Montana Hwy., 29 x 1994, E. C. Knudson, 3 ♂ 1♀; El Paso Co., El Paso, 21 x 1990, E. C. Knudson, 1 ♂ 1♀; El Paso Co., El Paso, East Montana Hwy., 7-9 x 1993, E. C. Knudson, 2♂ 1♀.   
 Etymology. From Latin, lachrymosa means tears, which refers to the distinctive teardrop shape of the orbicular spot.   
 Distribution. This species is known from sandy habitats in western Texas and New Mexico.
description: Published as part of Troubridge, J. T., 2008, A generic realignment of the Oncocnemidini sensu Hodges (1983) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Oncocnemidinae), with description of a new genus and 50 new species, pp. 1-95 in Zootaxa 1903 (1) on page 12, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1903.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5134476