Volume 63, Number 2 89 Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 63(2), 2009,89-92 CATOCALA BENJAMINI UTE N. SSP FROM SOUTHEASTERN UTAH (NOCTUIDAE: CATOCALINAE) foHN W. Peacock 185 Benzler Lust Road, Marion, OH 43302-8369, USA; email: [email protected] AND David L. Wagner Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3043, USA; email: [email protected] ABSTRACT. Catocala benjamini ute n. ssp. is described from the high deserts of southeastern Utah. The three known locales in the vicin¬ ity of Moab, Utah represent a significant eastward range extension for the species. The new subspecies presumably feeds on Qucrcus x pau¬ ciloba, the principal oak growing at the locations where adults were collected. Additional key words: Catocala andrornache, Catocala chelidonia, Quercus x pauciloba. Catocala benjamini was named by A. E. Brower in consistently whiter (paler). The adterminal line in the 1957 as a race of Catocala andrornache. Rs taxonomic forewing tends to be evenly undulate, and bounded status was essentially unchanged in Franclemont and distally by pale orange spots that frequently fuse (there Todd’s (1983) checklist, wherein benjamini was are decidedly fewer black scales in the adterminal and recognized as a subspecies of andrornache and grouped terminal areas of the wing than in the nominate taxon); within the Catocala delilah complex of species—a group likewise on the underside of the forewing the of about a half dozen, mostly western Nearetie, medium adterminal area tends to be pale orange with reduced to small, yellow-winged, oak-feeding underwings. In black scaling, and is rarely checkered as in the nominate 1982 Brower elevated benjamini to full species status, subspecies (Figs. 5, 6). In about half the specimens we after noting that Catocala andrornache and C. benjamini had for study, the forewing tends to be more triangular flew sympatrically over portions of their respective with a more acute apex (Fig. 1) than typical Catocala geographic ranges. In his treatment of the delilah group, benjamini benjamini (Fig. 4). The venter of both wings Hawks (1986) also regarded benjamini to be a full tends to be a warmer (more saturated) pale orange than species that ranged from desert mountain areas in that of both nominate and Arizona populations (Figs. 3, California to southwestern Utah south through much of 6). There are fewer dark scales suffusing the basal area Arizona (presumably the insect occurs further south of the hindwing common to other races of benjamini. into Mexico). Here we extend the known geographic Description. Forewing length: male 22-23 mm, mean 22.4 mm, s.d. 0.5; female 24-27 mm, mean 25.3 mm, s.d. 1.1. Ground color: range of benjamini to eastern Utah (Fig. 9) and describe peach-orange-brovvn, with little charcoal, gray, and steel-blue scaling; a phenotypically distinct geographic segregate that is white scales sparse on all wing surfaces. Forewing: nearly always with associated with stands of Quercus x pauciloba [ = short basal line that ends over Cm antemedial band double; running obliquely to inner margin, though often broken across lower half of gambelii x turbinella], wing; reniform spot small, diffusely margined with black; subreniform spot usually differentiated, peach-orange, lightly peppered with dark Catocala benjamini ute Peacock & Wagner new subspecies scales (white scales present in other populations absent); postmedian band complete, dodging outward distad to reniform spot, then Figures 1-3, 9 running obliquely inward to costa; diffuse dark patch just distad of Diagnosis. Adults, especially females, average where pm line meets costa; subterminal line present as two blurry somewhat larger than the nominate subspecies and teeth near Ml and M2.; often small cluster of dark scales at forewing apex; scales mostly peach-orange distal to evenly scalloped adterminal some Arizona populations (see Table 1). The orange- line; venter with adterminal and apical areas decidedly peach-orange brown ground color of the forewing distinguishes most with reduced gray scaling (relative to the nominate subspecies). individuals—there are fewer charcoal, gray, steel-blue, Hindwing: basal portion of wing with reduced dark scaling relative to the nominate subspecies; outer black band broad, at least twice the and white scales or scale patches contributing to the width of the inner black band; anal spot well developed, usually free of forewing patterning (Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5). The subreniform outer dark band; inner band often with well-developed anal hook that spot tends to be pale orange and irrorated with dark dodges toward inner margin above anal spot; fringe checkered where M and Cu reach margin. Thorax: dorsum warmer brown, not gray scales; in the nominate subspecies the subreniform is brown as in nominate subspecies. Abdomen: dorsum yellow-orange 90 Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society Figs. 1-6. Catocala benjamini adults. (1) Catocala benjamini ute holotype male. Arches Natl. Park, Grand Co., UT. (2) Catocala benjamini ute female, SR 313, Grand Co., UT. (3) Catocala benjamini ute male venter. Arches Natl. Park, Grand Co., UT. (4) Cato¬ cala benjamini benjamini male, Ilualapai Mtn. Rd., Mohave Co., AZ. (5) Catocala benjamini benjamini female, near Pavson, Gila Co., AZ. (6) Catocala benjamini benjamini male venter, near Payson, Gila Co., AZ. with dark scales absent or sparse (compare Figs. 2 and 5). trap. 1 male, 2 females (JWP); Arches National Park, Petrified Dunes Holotype male (Fig. 1): UTAH: Grand Co., Arches National Park, area, 1550 m, 7-9 June 2000, J. W. Peacock, bait trap, 2 males, 2 Balanced Rock Area, 1610 in, 7-8 June 2000, J. W. Peacock, 15W females (JWP). UTAH: San Juan Co., Canyonlands National Park, blacklight bucket trap, PMNH, Yale University, New Haven Squaw Flats Campground. 1710 m, 4 June 1994, B.C. Kondratioff and Connecticut. PA. Opler, at light, 2 adults. All JWP on indefinite loan from Arches Paratypes: 9 males and 17 females, 2 unsexed. UTAH: Grand Co., National Park. SR 313, 2.75 km W of jet. US 191, 7-8 June 2004, 1550 m, J. YV. Etymology. The subspecies is named after the Peacock, bait trap,l female (JWP); Arches National Park, Balanced Native Americans who most recently lived in this Rock area, 1550 nr, 7-9 June 2000, [. W. Peacock, 15W blacklight bucket trap, 1 male, bait trap, 1 male, 1 female (JWP); Arches jrortion of Utah. National Park, Rock Pinnacles area, 1550 m, 7-8 June 2000, | W. Life History Notes. Catocala benjamini ute is a Peacock, bait trap, 1 male, 1 female (JWP); Arches National Park, denizen of high deserts and canyonlands of southeastern Courthouse Rock area, [1280 m], 7-9 June 2000, J. W. Peacock, 15W blacklight bucket trap, 1 male, 3 females, bait trap, 1 male, 6 females Utah (Figs. 7, 8). Our collection sites are from (JWP); Arches National Park, vicinity of Courthouse Rock, 1435 m, transitional areas between high desert sage 7-8 June 2004, at bait, 1 male, 1 female (JWP); Arches National Park, communities and the lower reach of the juniper belt. Courthouse Wash area, [1250 m],7-8 June 2000, J. W. Peacock, bait Figs. 7-8. I labitat of Catocala benjamini ute. (7) JWP hanging bait trap at type locality: the low-lying green shrubbery at JWP’s feet is the presumed host oak, Quercus x pauciloba. (8) Typical canyonlands habitat in Arches National Park, Moab, Utah. Volume 63, Number 2 91 Trees (junipers and oaks) are widely scattered, if present (Hawks 1986). Adults were relatively common in bait (Figs. 7, 8). The most widespread, and in some cases traps in 2000—eight to twelve adults were found in each only oak at the collection sites is Quercus x pauciloba (= of several bait traps after a single night of collecting. Quercus undulata) (Fig. 9), a tree of hybrid origin Numbers approached those of benjamini taken in bait derived from Q. gambelli and Q. turbinella (USDA, traps in the Hualapai Mountains near Kingman, Arizona NRCS. 2009; Michael Kuhns personal communication), and in the Santa Rosa Mountains in Riverside Co., a narrowly distributed large-acorned, scrubby oak of California in the same year. Fewer moths of both sexes southeastern Utah and Arizona. We have not taken were taken in the light traps run at the same locations. benjamini ute from stands of gambel oak in Arches and Numbers were lower when JWP returned in 2004—few other nearby sites. Our collecting dates are all from the moths were taken in either bait traps or at light despite first ten days in June, and over these dates adults at light comparable sampling intensity. and in bait traps were in good to veiy good condition, indicating that adults had not been on the wing for long. Discussion Elsewhere the species is known to fly from late May Catocala benjamini shows substantial differentiation through July with stragglers taken into September across its geographic range in the American Southwest. Fig. 9. Known distribution of’Catocala benjamini ute (stars), Quercus turbinella (solid circles), and Quercus x pauciloba [Q. gam¬ belli x turbinella] (open circles). Map reproduced from on-line version of Albee et al. (1988): http://earth.gis.usu.edu/plants/ index.html (accessed January 2009). 92 Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society Table 1. Forewing measurements for three populations of Catocala benjamini (in mm). Taxon Males Females no. range mean s. cl. no. range mean s. d. benjamini benjamini (Mohave and Gila Counties, AZ) 14 20-23 22.3 0.8 13 21-25 23.8 1.2 benjamini "benjamini" (Riverside Co., CA) 6 20-22 21.0 0.9 6 21-24 22.8 1.0 benjamini ute (Grand Co., UT) 10 22-23 22.4 0.5 16 24-27 25.3 1.1 Hawks (1986) proposed manuscript names for three above, we have not yet found C. benjamini ute in new subspecies from California and southern Arizona gambel oak stands, and distributional data indicate that and here we describe a distinct phenotypic segregate this host is not utilized (by members of the Catocala from the most northeasterly portion of the moths delilah complex). geographic range. The fore1 wings of Catocala benjamini ute are more evenly yellow-orange and by comparison Acknowledgements have fewer black, gray, and white scales, and the larger We thank Paul Opler who first alerted us to the presence of Catocala benjamini in eastern Utah and shared his observations wingspan also distinguishes some females ol this on the habitat and probable host. We are indebted to the South¬ subspecies (Table 1). The three known localities for C. east Utah Group, National Park Service, for issuing a Scientific b. ute represent an eastward range extension for Research and Collecting Permit to JWP to conduct research on C. benjamini in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks benjamini which was previously known only from (CANY-2000-SCI-0012, CANY-2002-SCI-0004, and CANY- Washington County, Utah, in the southwestern corner 2004-SCI-0014). Special thanks are due to Charles Schelz, biol¬ of the state. ogist with the Southeast Utah Group, for his generous support of the study and for providing logistical, host plant, and other It is not known if and to what extent the populations useful information. David Hawks and Larry Gall provided help¬ of benjamini ute in eastern Utah are disjunct from those ful comments on drafts of the manuscript. We are especially in¬ of the nominate subspecies. JWP visited three other debted to David who sent us his thesis on the biosystematics of the delilah group of Catocala. Andrea Farr and Alexia Lalande locations with Quercus x pauciloba in search of prepared the figures. benjamini ute without success. These included seemingly suitable habitat in Canyon de Chelly, Apache Literature Cited County, Arizona; near Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Albee, B.J., L.M. Shultz, & S. Goodrich. 1988. Atlas of the Park, San Juan County, Utah; and a desert scrub area vascular plants of Utah. On-line version: http://earth.gis.usu.edu/plants/index.html (accessed January approx. 8 km W of Bluff, San Juan County, Utah. 2009). Catocala chelidonia, which JWP has collected in Brower, A.E. 1957. Description of a new species and a new association with benjamini near Kingman, Arizona and race of Catocala (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Bull. Brooklyn Entomol. Soc. 32: 184—186. benjamini in the Santa Rosa Mountains, California was _. 1982. Change in status of Catocala andromache race common in bait traps at all three of these other locations “benjamini” (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J. Lepid. Soc. 36: (Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, and Bluff). While 159.' Franclemont, J.G. & E.L. Todd. 1983. Noctuidae. Pp. our failure to find Catocala benjamini ute at these three 120-159. In R.W. Hodges et al. (eds.). Check list of the Lep¬ sites is (weakly) suggestive that benjamini from Grand idoptera of America north of Mexico, E.W. Classey Ltd. & County, Utah represents an outlying population, it is The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation, Cam¬ bridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom. also true that many areas in southern Utah and northern Hawks, D.C. 1986. The systematies and ecology of the Catocala Arizona have not been adequately surveyed. Elsewhere delilah complex (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Unpublished Catocala benjamini is associated with shrub live oak Master's Thesis, Univ. California, Riverside. 119 pp. Johnson, J.W. 1984 [1985], The immature stages of six Califor¬ (Quercus turbinella) (Hawks 1986), one of the nia Catocala (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J. Res. Lepid. 23: presumed parental lineages from which Quercus x 303-327. pauciloba is derived (USDA, NRCS. 2009; Michael USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS database (http://plants.usda.gov, 13 January 2009). National Plant Kuhns personal communication). Johnson (1985) reared Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. both Catocala anclromache and C. benjamini ex ova on (1. turbinella, and wild populations of C. benjamini in Submitted 9 Jarman/ 2008; revised and accepted for publica¬ California are often taken near stands of oak. As noted tion on 18 November 2008.