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Cucullia serraticornis
Lintner
Cucullia serraticornis Lintner, May 1874, Entomological
Contributions, 3:174.
Cucullia solidaginis Strecker, September 1874, Lepidoptera,
Rhopaloceres and Heteroceres, Indigenous and Exotic, 10:94.
Cucullia matricariae Strecker, September 1874, Lepidoptera,
Rhopaloceres and Heteroceres, Indigenous and Exotic, 10:94.
Diagnosis: Cucullia serraticornis Lintner is
a sexually dimorphic species known from southern Arizona and California
from the Mexican border as far north as the Oregon border. The males are
uniform gray with little significant maculation except for various fine
black streaks. The male hindwing is pure white dorsally except for darker
veins and a thin brown outer margin. The female is darker than the male
and suffused with smoky brown. The female hindwing is dark smoky brown,
not white.
Cucullia serraticornis is superficially similar to Cucullia
comstocki. Males of comstocki are more contrastingly marked
than serraticornis and have distinct patches of dark scales between
the veins of the hindwing. Males of comstocki have a distinctly
striate appearance normally lacking in serraticornis and the
veins of the hindwing are more strongly streaked with black. Females of
serraticornis and comstocki are very similar although
females of comstocki tend to have more sharply defined light
and dark areas in the forewing. The reniform mark in particular is distinctly
present in comstocki but normally diffuse to absent in serraticornis.
There are distinctive differences between the species in the shape of
the male valve. The valve is longer and narrower in serraticornis
than in comstocki. The ratio of the length of the valve from
the base of the sacculus to the apex is approximately 5.5 in serraticornis
versus 4.7 in comstocki. The apex is elongate and pointed outward
in serraticornis. The apex is pointed in comstocki as well, but
the apex is bent upward (in the orientation of the figure). The clasper
is shorter and thicker in comstocki than in serraticornis.
The spines of the corona run along the outer edge of the valve in serraticornis,
but in comstocki the corona spines turn inward on the valve at
about half the width of the valve. The basal processes of the sacculus
are slightly longer in serraticornis than in comstocki.
No differences have been found between vesicas of the two species. I have
been unable to find any consistent differences between the female genitalia
of serrticornis and comstocki.
Cucullia serraticornis may be distinguished from strigata
by the lack of sexual dimorphism in strigata and the more distinct
maculation of strigata. The clasper of the male valve is much
thicker and broader in strigata (about 3 times as long as wide) than in
serraticornis (about 5 to 6 times as long as wide). Females of the two
species are easily separated by the absence of sexual dimorphism in strigata
(i.e. the female looks like the male). The female genitalia are easily
separable as well. The ovipositor neck is twice as long as wide in strigata,
but equally wide as long in serraticornis. In addition the ductus
bursae is about 4 to 5 times longer than wide in strigata, but
only 3 times as long in serraticornis. Cucullia albida
occurs well outside the range of serraticornis. The male genitalia of
albida are virtually identical to those of strigata.
Wing length from base to apex: mean = 21.61 mm., standard deviation =
1.08 mm., n = 10.
Distribution: Cucullia serraticornis lives
in southern Arizona and western California. In California it occurs from
San Diego in the far south, throughout the western and Central portions
of the state at least as far north as Del Norte County on the Oregon border.
It appears to be most common in the coastal regions of California and
absent from the eastern portions of the state. The apparent lacuna between
the Arizona and California populations may be the result of inadequate
collections of these early spring flying moths.
Southern California specimens have all been taken in January and February,
San Francisco ones in March, and Arizona specimens in March and April.
Identification Quality: Excellent
Larva: Unknown
Foodplants: Unknown
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