Species Pherne sperryi - Hodges#6951

6951

Pherne sperryi McDunnough (1), 1935

Named in honor of Mr. J.L. Sperry who collected the specimens for description.

male wingspan 26-29 mm; female wingspan 30-33 mm

Per McDunnough (1935) - "Male. Head, thorax and primaries pale creamy, the latter lightly suffused with olive-ochreous; median area broader than in allied species and shaded, next to the t.a. and t.p. lines, with deeper olive-ochreous than the ground color, this darker shade more or less defining these lines. T.a. line from costa at about one-third, with sharp outward angle immediately below costa and then slightly inwardly oblique to inner margin at one-third; t.p. line from costa at three-quarters, parallel to outer margin to vein 5, rather abruptly incurved to vein 3 and then perpendicular to inner margin at two-thirds; fringes unicolorous light ochreous. Secondaries scarcely angled, silky whitish, with slight ochreous tinges along outer margin and very faint traces of a discal dot."

"Female. Rather more heavily suffused on primaries with ochreous than in the male, especially in the median area, where there is also a trace of a small oblique discal dash; t.p. line more gently sinuate and median area in consequence definitely broader."

"As is usual the antennae are bipectinate in both sexes, the pectinations in the female being distinct but much shorter than in the male;..."

Described from the Providence Mountains of the Mojave Desert.

The main flight period is March to October.

McDunnough, 1935, J., 1935. An apparently new Pherne from California. The Canadian Entomologist 67(5): 110-111. Abstract & PDF access

Moth Photographers Group (2)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (3)

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) (4)