Which Apoda #4668 or 4668a?? - Apoda rectilinea

Moved

Moved from Apoda.

… Kyhl Austin, 14 January, 2018 - 12:43am

Moved

… Tim Loh, 21 December, 2009 - 7:13pm

Long Answer........

For work in Florida you very much need John Heppner's Vol. 17 of the Arthropods of Florida which deals with the Lepidoptera of Florida, available at the FL Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 1911 SW 34th St. in Gainesville ($55). The black and white plates of spread specimens are quite poor in quality. The great value in the work is the detailed list of species, flight periods and host plants (updated through about 2003-2007) known from the state and even regions within the state. You could, for instance, mark the list for potential Kissimmee moths.

In that work you will see no mention of 4668a because that is a western moth now elevated to species status in the Moths of Western North America.

In the 1983 checklist subspecies were given a lettered suffix to the Hodges number such that the list looks like:

APODA

4668 -- rectilinea [4668 -- Apoda rectilinea]
. . . . . . a. latomia [4668a - Apoda r. latomia]

With the elevation from subspecies status, latomia becomes

4668.1 - Apoda latomia

Apoda latomia is found from west Texas to Gila County, Arizona and is less well-marked and paler brown than our more eastern species (rectilinea).

… Bob Patterson, 21 December, 2009 - 4:48am

Vol. 17 - Lepidoptera of Flor

Vol. 17 - Lepidoptera of Florida. Part 1. Introduction and Catalog / J. B. Heppner

Is this the one I need to order?

… Carol Wolf, 21 December, 2009 - 8:32am

Yes

B.P.

… Bob Patterson, 21 December, 2009 - 8:37am

thanks, Carol

… Carol Wolf, 21 December, 2009 - 8:44am

Long answer

Thank you so much for taking your time to explain this to me. Now i understand. And thank you for making me aware of the book, Lepidoptera of Florida. I will get it right away. It sounds most helpful. I had no idea that something like that even existed. The only moth book I have is Covell's Eastern Moths, of 1984. It has a lot of good information if the moth is in it. I can't tell you how many times I have looked at every plate trying to find what I have photographed. Anyway, thank you again so very much. Carol

… Carol Wolf, 21 December, 2009 - 6:18am

Numbers

4668a Apoda rectilinea latomia is a subspecies of 4668 Apoda rectilinea. I don't know if the number 4668a is something that is actually in the 1983 Hodges list or just a BugGuide/MPG invention.

… Charley Eiseman, 20 December, 2009 - 10:37pm

Numbers

So is there any way to tell which one I have?

… Carol Wolf, 20 December, 2009 - 10:40pm

Probably...

We'll have to wait for someone who knows these moths. The name Apoda rectilinea encompasses both possibilities, so if you've narrowed it down to these two possibilities then you know the species already. However, I see now that the way MPG uses the Hodges numbers, the number 4668 refers to the nominate subspecies (Apoda rectilinea rectilinea) rather than to the whole species. It's not clear to me if the images under 4668 on BugGuide are known to depict the nominate subspecies or have only been determined to species. If the former, there should be a second subspecies guide page to clarify this.

… Charley Eiseman, 20 December, 2009 - 10:55pm

It is confusing to a beginner

It is confusing to a beginner. And I thank you for your explanation. Maybe with your suggestion it can be clarified.

… Carol Wolf, 20 December, 2009 - 11:05pm