Noctuidae - Stiriinae

 

 

 

Cirrhophanus dyari Cockerell

Cirrophanus [sic] dyari Cockerell, 1899, Canad. Ent., 31:288.

Diagnosis: Cirrhophanus dyari is separable from pretiosa and triangulifer by the presence of a sharply defined, triangular indentation of the postmedial line near vein Cu2. This indentation is not perfectly triangular in a few specimens, but the indentation is always clearly and sharply marked. This indentation is absent in pretiosa and triangulifer, and the area where it would be is usually obscurely marked. The male genitalia are very similar to those of pretiosa and are virtually indistinguishable. The female ovipositor lobes are moderately long and pointed at their apices, but the apices are blunted and square in both pretiosa and triangulifer. The two closest relatives of dyari are dubifer Dyar and nigrifer Dyar from Mexico. These two species (if they are not merely forms of each other) are larger than dyari and their coloration is slightly duller and not quite as yellow. Wing length from base to apex: mean = 16.51 mm., standard deviation = 0.88 mm., n = 10.

Distribution: Cirrhophanus dyari ranges from the mountains of southern Arizona to western and central Texas. It has been taken as far east as Kerrville in Kerr County, Texas, but primarily has been collected in Jeff Davis County to the north of the Big Bend region. The type is from New Mexico, but dyari has not been collected there since then. In Arizona dyari has been collected in Cochise, Santa Cruz, and Pima counties in southeastern Arizona and as far north as the White Mountains. There is a single specimen in the AMNH labeled "Poncha Springs, Colorado" [Chaffee County]. This locality is far outside the species' known range and the existence of dyari this far north needs to be confirmed. Cirrhophanus dyari has also been taken near Cuauhtemoc in the state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. Intrapopulation variability consists primarily of the presence (and its strength) or absence of black shading in the hindwing. The hindwing is pure yellow orange in some specimens, but in others there is a black suffusion along the inner margin of the wing. The amount of black suffusion varies considerably but tends to be strongest in females.

Adults have been collected in August and September.

Identification Quality: Excellent

Larva: Unknown

Foodplants: Unknown

 

Cirrhophanus dyari

 

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