Ethmia umbrimarginella Busck 1907

Ethmia umbrimarginella Busck

Ethmia umbrimarginella Busck, 1907:94.–Barnes and Busck, 1920. pl. 26, 36.–McDunnough, 1939:82.

A moderately small moth having the dark gray forewing marked by a longitudinal reddish orange line from base nearly to the end of the cell.

MALE.–Length of forewing about 9.5 mm. Head: Labial palpus moderately upcurved, rather short, second segment about equal to eye diameter, third segment about two-thirds the length of second, scaling extending well beyond; with elongate, spreading, stiff black hairs, dense at base becoming sparse distally in addition to black scaling. Scaling of antennae and head black. Thorax: Collar ochreous; scaling of pronotum and venter including legs deep bluish black. Forewing: Length about 3.2 times width; apex blunt, termen not strongly angled back, fringe moderately broad. Ground color dark slate gray; immediate costal edge dirty white to distal one-fourth; a narrow line of bright red-orange from concolorous spot at base, extending outward above cubital fold nearly to end of cell; a short, vertical red-orange bar at end of cell; five velvet black spots as follows: an elongate one on cubital fold in basal one-fourth, a rounded one on fold before middle of wing, a slightly smaller round one at middle of wing in cell, a pair adjoining and emphasizing vertical orange bar at end of cell, preceding and following it. Fringe of ground color. Underside dark gray, costa whitish, broadly clouded with whitish scales in central area. Hindwing: About as broad as forewing; costal hair tuft presumably present, not examined; fringe moderately broad, slightly less than one-half membrane width. Ground color white; a broad dark gray margin around apical, terminal, and dorsal areas, ill defined inwardly, produced into central area as a broad lobe along dorsum. Fringe dark gray. Underside similar. Abdomen: “Blackish brown” as originally described, subsequently removed. Genitalia figured by Barnes and Busck (1920, pl. 36) similar to lassenella and coquillettella, apparently differing by a more elongate costal rim of the valva and possibly shorter basal processes.

FEMALE.–Length of forewing 9.7 mm. Essentially as described for male. White of forewing costa extended nearly to apex; basal orange spot smaller. Costal brush of hindwing lacking; gray border of hindwing more diffuse. Abdomen tip scaling orange. Genitalia not examined.

TYPE DATA.–Las Cruces (Mesilla Park), New Mexico, February (T. D. A. Cockerell); holotype male deposited in U.S. National Museum.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.–Southern Arizona and New Mexico; besides the type, evidently known only from a single female taken at Nogales, Arizona, in quarantine from the Nogales area in February 1959.

FLIGHT PERIOD.–February.

FOOD PLANT.–Unknown; the type specimen was recorded as taken on “Cãnagre” [Rumex hymenosepalus Torrey (Polygonaceae)], an illogical host.

Ethmia lassenella Busck

Ethmia lassenella Busck, 1908a:92.–Barnes and Busck, 1920, pls. 26, 35.–McDunnough, 1939:82.

A moderately small moth with shining steel gray forewings marked at the base and end of cell with bright red-orange spots.

MALE.–Length of forewing 8.2–8.3 mm. Head: Labial palpus moderately strongly upcurved, rather short, second segment 1.0 eye diameter, third segment about 0.5 as long; scaling black, with scattered whitish basally and ventrally, second segment with elongate spreading hairs forming a sparse brush on underside. Antenna dilated; basal segments of shaft about 0.5 eye diameter. Scaling of head black or steel gray, a few whitish scales at occipital margin; a bare area behind eye. Thorax: Scaling including legs dark steel gray; femora and tibiae densely clothed with long black and whitish hairs. Forewing: Length about 3.3 times width; costa gently curved in distal half to rounded apex, termen an even curve to dorsum, fringe narrow, apical half thus oval in appearance. Ground color steel gray including fringe; two bright red-orange spots, one near base in cell, second one paler, at outer edge of cell, at times becoming whitish at its dorsal edge; five smaller black spots: two on cubital fold, at outer margin of basal orange spot and just before middle of wing, third in upper part of cell at about middle of wing, remaining two preceding and following orange spot at end of cell, adjoining and emphasizing it. Underside dark gray; orange spot at end of cell showing from upperside and reproduced by a few white scales. Hindwing: Slightly broader than forewing, attenuate, costa strongly sloping off toward apex, latter acute, tornus not distinguishable; dorsal brush, a thick tuft of elongate pale ochreous hairlike scales arising at base of costa. Ground color white, a broad (about ⅓ wing width), black, moderately well defined marginal band from anal angle to distal one-third of costa, broadest in apical area; costal area under brush mixed white and black. Underside similar; costal area black. Abdomen: Scaling entirely dark gray or black. Genitalia similar to E. coquillettella (Figure 51) (one Busck slide examined).

MAP 13.–Geographical distribution of Ethmia lassenella Busck.

FEMALE.–Length of forewing 7.8–8.0 mm. Essentially as described for male. Labial palpus more elongate, II plus III about 1.9 eye diameter, i.e., 3.2:3.7:2.2. Antenna moderately dilated, width of shaft near base nearly 0.8 that of male. Hindwing costal brush lacking; ground color almost entirely dark gray or blackish, paler basally. Genitalia, one preparation examined Nixon, Nevada; similar to E. coquillettella, differing by a broader sterigmal plate which lacks the subtending spurs, a short sclerotized area at base of ductus bursae, and signum with numerous, multiserial spurs projecting into bursa.

TYPE DATA.–Redington, Pima County, Arizona; lectotype female by present designation, in U.S. National Museum, with the following data: “Redington, Ariz., Ethmia lassenella Bsk., Type ♀.” A male with the same locality data formed the basis of the genitalia figure given by Barnes and Busck (1920) from a poorly prepared slide.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.–Arizona (Redington, Globe), Nevada (Nixon, Washoe County), and Utah (Provo).

FLIGHT PERIOD.–Mid-March to mid-April.

FOOD PLANT.–Unknown.

Ethmia coquillettella Busck

Ethmia coquillettella Busck, 1907:95.–Barnes and Busck, 1920, pls. 26, 34.–McDunnough, 1939:82.–Powell, 1959:135:1971:8 [biol.].

A moderately small moth having dark gray forewings, with a pale yellow dot at the end of the cell, and white hindwings with a broad black border.

MALE.–Length of forewing 6.5 to 7.7 mm (California), 8.4 mm (British Columbia). Head: Labial palpus rather short; second segment length about 1.3 times eye diameter, moderately curved, third segment more than one-half the length of second, straight; underside with a dense brush of spreading, hairlike scales, white at base, black beyond, white at apex of second segment, third segment smooth scaled, black. Antenna dilated, diameter of shaft at basal one-third 0.40 to 0.45 eye diameter; black, a few scales near base dorsally. Scaling of front and crown appressed, black; white at eye margin, base of scape and on occipital margin, spreading and hairlike at latter; a broad, bare rim behind eye, black. Thorax: Dorsal scaling smooth, black. Underside clothed with appressed, black scaling and elongate, white hair. Legs black, white at segment apices, metathoracic tibia with well-developed, dorsal fringe, white. Forewing: Length 3.5 to 3.8 times width; costa gently curved from base to apex, latter blunt, hidden in broad fringe which also obscures the strongly angled termen, giving a truncate appearance to wing. Ground color including fringe mouse gray or blackish gray (possibly pale with age in collections), sparsely to heavily dusted with whitish. Two pale yellow to yellowish orange marks, the first small, in cell near base, second larger (two-thirds eye diameter), at end of cell. Black marks as follows: an elongate spot just beyond basal yellow mark on lower fold; a larger, oval one on lower fold at basal one-third, fold between the two at times with concentration of white overscaling; an oval spot above lower fold at middle of wing, rarely containing an ochreous-orange dot; an elongate streak through end of cell, interrupted and emphasizing the yellow spot; rarely extended basad to connect with preceding spot in cell. Underside black with whitish scaling along costa, lower fold and dorsal margin, spot at end of cell reproduced, white. Hindwing: Slightly broader than forewing. Dorsal hair brush of costa well developed, elongate, cream-white; costa slightly sloping to apex, latter rather acute, termen broadly curved to dorsum. Ground color white, a broad (? to ¼ membrane width) black border from before apex to anal angle; costal area of hair brush ochreous or gray; hair of anal area black. Fringe entirely black or white distally. Underside similar, a broad gray costal streak. Abdomen: Dorsal scaling black, first three terga smooth, velvet-like, underside with a broad median white band, extended laterally at caudal fringes of segments; genital scaling shining white below. Genitalia as in Figure 51 (drawn from plesiotype, Chula Vista, San Diego County, JAP prep. no. 1142; three preparations examined); uncus round, hoodlike, posterior gnathos teeth dense, short, anterior gnathos toothed laterally only or more or less evenly across margin; basal processes broad; valvae narrowed distally.

MAP 14.–Geographical distribution of Ethmia coquillettella Busck.

FEMALE.–Length of forewing 7.3 to 8.0 mm (California), 8.7 mm (British Columbia). Essentially as described for male. Labial palpus slightly longer; antenna scarcely dilated, diameter about one-half that of male; generally less white scaling and hairs on head and body; forewing with little white overscaling (no fresh specimens available); hindwing border broader, the wing about one-half blackish, whitish toward base, black area not well defined as marginal band as in male; abdomen colored as in male. Genitalia as in Figures 177–179 (drawn from plesiotypes, Railroad Canyon, Riverside County, JAP prep. no. 2146, and Del Puerto Canyon, Stanislaus County, JAP prep. no. 2760; four preparations examined); papillae anales heavily sclerotized; anterior apophyses broad, sclerotization of VIII segment variable; sterigma a rather simple, shallow funnel, sclerotized ventrally, subtended by a row of 15 spurs; ductus bursae a loose spiral, entirely membranous; signum a flanged, spurred fold, bearing about five variable, flat teeth projecting into bursa.

TYPE DATA.–LOS Angeles, California (D. W. Coquillett); holotype male in U.S. National Museum.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.–Incompletely known; southern and inner central coast range of California; interior British Columbia (Oliver; Keremeos).

FLIGHT PERIOD.–February to April (California); April to May (British Columbia).

FOOD PLANT.–Phacelia; possibly P. distans and cicutaria. Larvae were reared on Phacelia from eggs deposited by females taken on flowers of Coreopsis californica (Compositae) which was growing near P. cicutaria in Railroad Canyon, Riverside County, and on P. distans from eggs deposited by females taken flying near this plant at Del Puerto Canyon, Stanislaus County, California (Powell, 1971).

REMARKS.–Specimens from British Columbia are larger than those from southern California, but are not otherwise distinguishable.

Ethmia monachella Busck

Ethmia monachella Busck, 1910b:53.–Barnes and Busck, 1920, pls. 26, 36.–McDunnough, 1939:82.

A moderately small moth having the pale forewing marked by a broad, well-defined black band from base to apex just below the costa.

MALE.–Length of forewing about 11 mm. Head: Labial palpus rather short, moderately upcurved, shaped as in E. coquillettella, densely clothed with stiff, spreading, black hairs in addition to scaling, a few on third segment. Scaling of head and antennae black. Thorax: Scaling black. Legs black with white annulations; metathoracic legs, originally described as bearing “bright orange tibial tuft,” now lacking. Forewing: Ground color pale slate gray; a broad, black, evenly and distinctly margined band from base to apex, tapered slightly at the ends, just below costa, leaving a thin costal margin of ground color to distal one-fifth; two small black spots in dorsal area, one at basal fourth just below Cu fold, the other on fold at about middle of wing. A slightly darker grayish shade along dorsal margin from base to tornus, narrowing distally. Apical and terminal margin with a row of black dots. Hindwing: Costal brush lacking. Ground color blackish; fringe ochreous. Abdomen: Dorsal scaling black, posterior margins of all but first two segments orange. Final two segments removed subsequent to original description; genital scaling described as bright orange. Genitalia figured by Barnes and Busck (1920), similar to E. lassenella, but with the uncus deeply cleft as in E. albitogata.

FEMALE.–Unknown.

TYPE DATA.–Boulder, Colorado (S. A. Rohwer); holotype male in U.S. National Museum bears the date March 7, 1908.

REMARKS.–This species was described from a unique specimen, has not been recollected, and remains the rarest and in some respects most elegant of the North American Ethmiidae. I predict that when rediscovered it will prove to be a day flier which has escaped notice owing to an early spring flight at any given locality.

Ethmia scylla Powell, new species

Ethmia umbrimarginella is a moth in the family Depressariidae.