Lasionycta anthracina Crabo & Lafontaine 2009, sp. n.

Lasionycta anthracina Crabo & Lafontaine, sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 4B1035B4-8962-48D0-9DD6-09701403151B

Figs 33, 150, 206. Map 7

Type Material. Holotype ♁. Canada, Quebec, St-Michel des Saints, Lac Dussault, 47°00.09 N, 73°53.67 W, D. Handfield, 25 juin 2004, Mercure de Sabloneux, Tourbiére, MONA: 10355; DH005607, Lasionycta albinuda, Sexe: Male, Forme: typique, Databased for CNC; Noctuoidea #6454, Barcodes of Life Project, University of Guelph, DNA# Noctuoidea 6454. CNC. Paratypes 10 ♁, 3 ♀. Canada. Alberta. Fort McMurray, 12 June 1953, Slide No. 8528 (1 ♁); Labrador. Cartwright, 10 Aug.

1955, E. E. Stearns/ PAPILLONS DU QUEBEC ET DU LABRADOR; Louis Handfield- Ed. Broquet- phot -1995 (1 ♁). Ontario. Black Sturgeon Lake, 27 June 1963 (1 ♁); Hymers, 9 Aug. 1911, H. Dawson (1 ♀); Th under Bay Area, 28 June 1993, 12 July 1993, J. P. Walas, (2 ♁). Quebec: Baie Comeau, 54°47’ N 66°47’ W, 1 July 1948, E. G. Munroe / PAPILLONS DU QUEBEC ET DU LABRADOR; Louis Handfield - Ed. Broquet- phot -1995 (1 ♁); same locality, date, and collector (1 ♀); Cap-de-la- Madeleine, 25 July 1954, 14–344, Fernand St. Louis (1 ♁); Forestville, 7 July 1950, R. deRuette (1 ♁); Granby, 31 July 1940, P. E. Mercier (1 ♁); Lac Mondor, Ste. Flore, 25 June 1951, E. G. Munroe (1 ♀). USA, New Hampshire. Mt Washington, Lake of the Clouds, 5000’, 2 Aug. 1954, Becker, Munroe, and Mason (1 ♁). CNC, LGC, UASM.

Etymology. The name anthracina is derived from anthracinus meaning coal-black in Latin. It refers to the black color of this moth.

Diagnosis. Lasionycta anthracina is a small (forewing length 10–13 mm) nearly black species from the boreal forest zone of eastern and central Canada and northeastern United States. It is structurally similar to L. leucocycla except for large eyes and slightly more slender male valves. Other L. leucocycla sub-group species in its range, L. leucocycla and L. flanda, have light-colored hindwings. Lasionycta anthracina is most similar to L. coracina from far northwestern North America and can be told from it by characters listed under that species; L. phoca (Möschler), another dark species from northeastern Canada, is larger (forewing length 13–14 mm), gray rather than black, and has a thick ventral hindwing postmedial line that touches the discal spot; that of L. anthracina is thin and separate from the spot.

The CO1 sequence of L. anthracina is identical to that of L. flanda and similar to those of L. leucocycla.

Description. Head – Antenna of male biserrate, 1.7–2.0× width of shaft. Antenna of female filiform and ciliate. Dorsal antenna mostly black with few white scales at distal end of segments. Scape white. Eye size normal. Palpus with many dark-gray and fewer white scales laterally, mostly white scales medially. Frons and top of head covered with many black and a few white-tipped black scales. Thorax – Vestiture a mixture of black and white-tipped black hair-like scales, appearing black. Legs black with white rings at distal end of tarsal segments. Wings – Forewing length: males 10–12 mm (expanse 22–27 mm); females 11–13 mm (expanse 25–29 mm). Forewing with many dark-gray, fewer black, and very few white and pale-yellow scales, appearing charcoal gray with black lines and spots. Basal and antemedial lines double, filled with slightly paler gray. Postmedial line diffuse, black, strongest in cell and at costa. Postmedial line extended onto veins and slightly scalloped between veins, slightly excurved from costa to fold and then slightly oblique to posterior margin, bordered distally by paler gray and scattered white scales. Subterminal line luteous, thin, preceded by dark chevrons between veins. Orbicular spot round, filled with lighter gray scales and a faint dark- er ocellus. Reniform and claviform spots black, barely perceptible. Fringe of ground color, weakly checkered with black. Ventral forewing dark brown-gray with dark-gray discal spot, subterminal line, costa, and marginal area. Dorsal hindwing brown gray to nearly black, with darker gray discal spot, undulating medial band, and wide marginal band. Fringe dark gray proximally, light gray distally. Ventral hindwing brown-gray with suffusion of dark-gray scales with dark-gray margins. A basal dash connecting the wing base and discal spot is present in some specimens. Discal spot moderately large, arrowhead shaped. Postmedial line undulating, complete, located closer to marginal band than discal spot. Marginal band very thin, indistinct medially. Fringe brown gray proximally, light whitish gray distally. Abdomen – Uniform dark gray. Male genitalia – (Fig. 150). Genital capsule and aedeagus as in the L. leucocycla species-group and L. leucocycla sub-group descriptions. Valve approximately 4.8–6.8× as long as wide. Two of three preparations examined demonstrate slight downward angulation of dorsal margin of valve near neck. Cucullus slightly smaller than average for species-group. Vesica without basal cornuti (N = 3). Female genitalia – (Fig. 206). Ovipositor lobe, segment VIII, and bursa copulatrix as described for L. leucocycla species-group. Bursa approximately 0.75× ductus length and 0.7× as wide as long.

Distribution and biology. Lasionycta anthracina occurs from the east coast of Labrador to northeastern Alberta southward to northern New Hampshire and Lake Superior in western Ontario. It flies in boreal forest and bogs and has been collected from mid-June to mid-August. It is nocturnal and comes to lights. Lasionycta anthracina and L. leucocycla occur in different habitats and are sympatric in the White Mountains, New Hampshire, Poste-de-la-Baleine, Quebec, and the vicinity of Cartwright, Labrador.

Remarks. This species was known as L. albinuda (Smith) for many years, but the name is now known to be a synonym of L. phoca.