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Photo#1117229
Pyrausta ID Request - Pyrausta onythesalis

Pyrausta ID Request - Pyrausta onythesalis
Camp Wood, Edwards County, Texas, USA
August 7, 2015
Size: apx. 12 mm long
I quit taking pictures of Pyrausta pseudonythesalis a long time ago, but something about the intensity of colors and clear pattern of this specimen made me decide to study this one. I believe the dark shaded area on the hind wing makes this Hodges #5042 Pyrausta onythesalis. These are so difficult to distinguish I would like confirmation of my opinion.

Images of this individual: tag all
Pyrausta ID Request - Pyrausta onythesalis Pyrausta ID Request - Pyrausta onythesalis

Moved
Moved from Pyrausta.
One of the key field marks which points to onyth is the inner half of the red PM line which is zigzag, forming an angular "3" or Sigma shape as it approaches the inner margin. On pseudo, this part of the PM line is just slightly sinuous and not jagged like this.

Pyrausta onythesalis
BOLD now has this specimen listed as TXLEP131-15 in the bin for Pyrausta onythesalis.
Ann, I was just about to comment on the lack of a dark-dashed terminal line on the fore-wings, which can be seen on most images of Pyrausta pseudonythesalis. I'm not sure just how reliable that character is, but it seems to be very consistent.

 
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Thank you Bob. I really do see them all the time and no longer have trouble distinguishing the two to my satisfaction.

 
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Thank you Bob. I really do see them all the time and no longer have trouble distinguishing the two to my satisfation.

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I have now had 4 more of these and I feel sure that they are P. onythesalis. Having so many dark ones with the same yellow ST area makes me sure. I will post a second one which I have spread soon.

Moved

You are correct: Pyrausta onythesalis
Moved from ID Request.

 
Why onythesalis?
Kyhl, although there is a tendency for onythesallis to show darker red tint in the median band, especially near the costal margin, and for "pseudo" to have less dark red or no red tint at all in that same area, this is highly variable across both species. Moreover, from a geographic standpoint, based on MPG records and what Ann and I have seen and photographed, pseudo is by far the more expected (the only?) species in our area. So what prompts you to be certain of this ID?

 
I don't know why I was so certain.
Thanks for catching this. Looking at the MPG plates again does make me doubt my original ID. I'll move this back to Pyrausta for now.

 
Pyrausta fascicles on the way
I've always enjoyed the Pyraustini, so I finally bit the bullet this morning and ordered the two MONA fascicles for this group of moths. I doubt if those refs will solve any/all of the mysteries and tough IDs but it will useful to have them at hand.

 
Please let me know if you find a way to reliably separate
these two species without dissection. Thanks!

 
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Hello all.

For what it is worth, I sent this one to BOLD and it was not ID'd to species but had a high run rate at 591 and was placed in the P. onythealis BIN. Sorry I had not moved it myself before you all found it.

 
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Thank you very much.

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