Lasionycta subfumosa Crabo & Lafontaine 2009, stat. rev.

Lasionycta subfumosa (Gibson), stat. rev.

Figs 50, 51, 164, 221. Map 13

Anarta subfumosa Gibson, 1920: 34

Lasiestra leucocycla subfumosa; McDunnough 1938: 72.

Lasionycta staudingeri subfumosa; Lafontaine et al. 1986: 261.

Type Material. Holotype ♁ [CNC, examined], Type locality: Armstrong Point, Victoria Island, Canada.

Diagnosis. Lasionycta subfumosa is a light-gray species from the arctic northwest. It is similar to L. staudingeri with which it is structurally indistinguishable. Lasionycta subfumosa has light-gray forewing with faint markings and absent orbicular spot, whereas L. staudingeri is dark gray with patches of olive and has prominent markings, including an orbicular spot. Lasionycta subfumosa also resembles L. quadrilunata yukona Lafontaine that also occurs in Alaska, but it differs from L. subfumosa in having a large quadrate hindwing discal spot. The male of L. subfumosa has a double corona and a strongly biserrate antenna, whereas that of L. q. yukona has four rows of setae in the corona and a weakly biserrate antenna.

The CO1 sequence of Alaskan L. subfumosa is similar to that of L. staudingeri preblei, differing by 0.37 %.

Distribution and biology. Lasionycta subfumosa is known from Victoria Island and Banks Island in the Northwest Territories and the Darby Mountains on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska. It is diurnal. Adults have been collected from late June through July and are very rare in collections.

Remarks. Lafontaine et al. (1986) treated L. subfumosa as a subspecies of L. staudingeri. Th e isolated Alaskan record of L. subfumosa from within the range of L. staudingeri suggests that the taxa are distinct.