Species Olethreutes merrickana - Hodges#2803

2803

Olethreutes merrickana (Kearfott, 1907)

Hysterosia merrickana Kearfott, 1907 (1)

Phylogenetic sequence #620571

Specific epithet in honor of New Brighton, Pennsylvania lepidoptera collector Frank A. Merrick (1845-1912) who collected some of the first specimens. In 1962 Merrick was mustered as a sergeant into Hampton's Independent Battery F, Pennsylvania Light Artillery assigned to the Army of the Potomac, seemingly taking part in every major battle of the war, including Antietam, Bull Run, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. Promoted to Lieutenant in March, 1865 Merrick mustered out June 26th, 1965 at the end of the war. Returning to New Brighton he took up the gentler pursuits of entomology and put together a collection for his father's Merrick Free Art Gallery, Museum and Library that still exists today as an art gallery. Loxostegopsis merrickalis (Barnes & McDunnough, 1918) is also named in his honor.

Wingspan: (1)

♂ 19-25 mm

♀ 22-26 mm

Moth Photographers Group - large map with some distribution data.

Paratypes: Cartwright, Manitoba (Heath, 3 Aug.)

Cincinnati, OH (A.F. Braun, 30 Aug.)

Algonquin. IL (W.A. Nason, 4-5 Aug,)

Mt. Desert, ME (Fernald)

New Brighton, PA (F.A. Merrick, 22 Jul.-31 Aug.)

The flight period appears to be May to August. (2)

In Olethreutes merrickana "the edge forming the dark apical area ... is straight and in Phtheochroa riscana at upper third turns, goes toward costa vertically, making a hump at that point." (1)

Gilligan, Wright & Gibson, 2008. Olethreutine Moths of the Midwestern United States: p. 67.54. (3)

Kearfott, W.D. 1907. New micro-lepidoptera. The Canadian Entomologist 39(2): 59 (1)

Moth Photographers Group (2)

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (4)