Coloradactria frigida A. Warren, Ferris & B. Landry 2025

Coloradactria frigida A. Warren, Ferris & B. Landry, new species (Fig. 5 male holotype; Figs. 2, 7 live specimens) Diagnosis. In male genitalia, Coloradactria frigida (Fig. 3a–c) differs from Neodactria species in that the phallus apically is adorned with a pair of small spine-like projections in contrast to the absence of such projections or cornuti in Neodactria (see Landry, 1995: fig. 283; Landry & Metzler, 2002: fig. 2; Landry & Brown, 2005: fig. 8; Landry & Albu, 2012: fig. 3), although N. oktibbeha Landry & Brown (2005: fig. 4) shows a pair of ̒more or less sclerotized and blunt structures̓ in that position. Also see the generic diagnosis above for more diagnostic characters regarding both sexes. Description. Males (n=145). Head with frons covered in short dark gray scales, vertex with mixed pale gray and dark brownish-gray scales. Antenna with charcoal gray shaft, 1–2 whitish scales dorsally on each segment, sensilla short, white, length approximately 0.6X length of forewing measured along costal margin; pedicel dark brownish gray. Labial palpi scaled brownish gray and very pale gray basally, mainly dark brownish-gray flecked with pale gray distally. Maxillary palpi with brownish-gray and whitish scales. Haustellum (Fig. 6) clothed with white scales. Eye ringed with whitish scales. Thorax brownishgray-scaled dorsally, paler ventrally. Legs with medium brownish gray femurs, paler tibia. Wings: forewing length 7–10 mm measured along costal margin from base to apex (holotype = 8 mm); wingspan: 11-18 mm (holotype 16 mm). Forewing length/width ratio (n=3): 2.8-3.2. DFW pale gray sprinkled with gray scales, central elongate spot; narrow curved post-median dark band; marginal dark band concolorous with base of fringe; fringe tips white; wing basically framed with darker scales along all of margins. DHW very pale gray, streaked and speckled with darker scales, but without discernible pattern or discal spot; fringe similar to DFW. Ventrally both wings unpatterned, pale gray, sparsely sprinkled with gray scales; VFW slighter darker than VHW. Abdominal segments banded with charcoal gray scales centrally basad, and white-tipped scales distad and at sides. Segment 1 very dark, segments 2–4 dark, shading to pale gray-brown at terminal segments; pattern repeated ventrally, but much paler. Male genitalia (n=5): Tegumen pedunculus dorsally broad, with pedunculi narrowing to junction with valvae.. Uncus approximately equal in length to tegumen pedunculus tapering from base to blunt rounded tip. Gnathos approximately half as long as uncus, broad basally with parallel sides to rounded apex. Cucullus basally broad for two-thirds of length, then narrowing, with rounded apex. Costal arm curved and slender and equal in length to cucullus. Phallus narrowing at mid-length before expanding again apically, subapically adorned with pair of short spines on opposing sides. Females (n=141). Antenna dorsally white with few scattered gray scales (Fig. 7b). Head, palpi, thorax, abdomen, and legs as in males, but markings brighter and more intense. Forewings dorsally white-scaled with variable dark transverse gray-brown bands, as follows: basal patch in some specimens, wide median band, wide post-median band, and marginal band extending into fringe; area between bands varying from unmaculated white scales to overlay sprinkling of brown scales. Dorsal maculation not repeated ventrally. Hindwing dorsally only with marginal band extending into fringe. Hindwings white to gray, with pale brown longitudinal streaks and a variable light scattering of dark scales. There is a suggestion of a dark broken band in the outer margin. Female genitalia (n=7). Papillae anales with short setation. Posterior and anterior apophyses of about equal lengths. Sterigma a dorsally open trough. Ductus bursae about 0.45X as long as corpus bursae. Corpus bursae a simple elongate sac 3 to 4 X as wide as ductus bursae. The eggs and larvae are discussed in the Biology section that follows. Type series and type locality. All specimens diurnal and collected by Andrew D. Warren, except where noted. Male holotype: USA, Colorado, Douglas Co., Castle Pines North, vic. 39°29̓58.9"N, 104°54̓40.3"W, 6280̓, 1914 m, 5.xi.2023. The holotype will be placed in the C. P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity, Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA (CSU). Paratypes: 145 males and 141 females, as follows: same locality as holotype, 4.xi.2023, 46 males; 5.xi.2023, 8 males; 6.xi.2023, 10 males; 9.xi.2023, 1 male; 1.xi.2023, 3 males; 15.xi.2023, 1 male; 20.x.2024, 5 males, 2 females; 22.x.2024, 11 males, 4 females; 23.x.24, 10 males, 4 females; Colorado, Douglas County, Highlands Ranch, Marcy Gulch Trail vic. Foothills Park, 5700̓, 39°32̓04.6"N, 105°00̓01.3"W, 24.x.2024, 13 males, 32 females; Colorado, Douglas County, Highlands Ranch, behind Thunder Ridge High School, 5661̓, 39°32̓11.1"N, 105°00̓29.0"W, 25.x.2024, 6 males, 21 females); 26.x.2024, Andrew D. Warren & Christian Nunes, 8 males, 69 females; 27.x.2024, Andrew D. Warren & David J. Warren, 4 males, 25 females; 2.xi.2024, 3 males, 11 females; 15.xi.2024, 11 males, 2 females; 17.xi.2024, 2 males, 2 females; 21.xi.2024, 1 female; Colorado, Douglas County, Wildcat Mountain, 6342̓, 39°30̓32.1"N, 104°54̓51.6"W, 13.xi.2023, 1 male; Colorado, Douglas County, Highlands Ranch, behind Mountain Ridge Middle School, 6026̓, 39°31̓18.7"N, 104°57̓40.8"W, 28.x.2024, 1 male. Paratype specimens of both sexes from the several collection localities will be deposited in the following institutional collections: CSU; McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; Mississippi Entomological Museum, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi; National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC; Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cornell University Insect Collection, Ithaca, NY; Oregon State University Arthropod Collection, Corvallis, OR; California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA; Hasbrouck Insect Collection, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ; Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, CO; Muséum d̓histoire naturelle, Geneva, Switzerland, The Natural History Museum, London, England, with additional specimens in the private collections of ADW, Castle Pines, CO and CDF, Laramie, WY. Special paratype. Male voucher specimen (dissected) whose legs were used for DNA barcoding with pin labels as follows: Orange label — DNA voucher CRA 11/Lepidoptera/B. Landry n°00164; White locality label — USA: COLORADO: Douglas/Co.: Castle Pines North, vic./39°29̓58.9̓̓N 104°54̓40.4̓̓W/ 5-XI-2023, diurnal/ Andrew D. Warren; Green label — Coloradactria / frigida /A. Warren, Ferris, & B. Landry/DNA voucher Paratype. This specimen will be placed with the holotype at CSU. Etymology. The genus name Coloradactria denotes the geographic locality of the moth and its relationship to genus Neodactria. The adjectival species name frigida, Latin for cold, refers to the late-autumn emergence of the moths. The new name is regarded as feminine, as Neodactria, even though the description of the latter (Landry 1995) doesn̓t mention its gen-der explicitly. Distribution. To date, C. frigida has been recorded from a few sites in Douglas, El Paso, and Weld counties, Colorado, in association with disturbed Sporobolus crŋptandrus. Adults have been found from October 20 to November 22. Targeted searches for C. frigida are likely to reveal additional populations at least in eastern Colorado, likely in southeastern Wyoming, and perhaps elsewhere; S. crŋptandrus has a very large distribution in North America, including southern Canada, most of the United States excluding the southeast, and northern Mexico (Britton & Brown 1970). Biology. Coloradatria frigida is found in strict association with highly disturbed Sporobolus crŋptandrus, with patches of bare ground interspersed between grass clumps. To date, all known habitats consist of frequently mowed and trampled Sporobolus. The type locality (Fig. 8a) consists of a mowed area in front of a shed, and adjacent gravel pedestrian trail margins that are also regularly mowed, all within a large patch of Sporobolus. The densest known population of C. frigida also occurs among mowed and trampled Sporobolus, bordering a school sports field (Fig. 8b). Moths were absent from adjacent patches of Sporobolus that were not disturbed by trampling and/or mowing. Given this, we speculate that grazing and disturbance caused by animal movements maintained suitable habitat for C. frigida in the past, likely by bison, pronghorn, deer, elk and prairie dogs. The flightless females of C. frigida seem to require large patches of mowed and/or trampled grass and bare ground for activity, and are often found adjacent to ant hills, despite some mortality observed during encounters with ants. Two ant species were observed eating the moths, and identified as Dorŋmŋrmex sp. and Pogonomŋrmex occidentalis (Cresson, 1865). Females easily detect and outrun the ants when they are warm. Males spend their time making short flights through these open areas, frequently landing on the ground or on low perches. Mating occurs in the morning, mostly between 10:30- 11:30 hrs. Over a dozen courtships were observed in 2024. Females appear to attract males with an airborne pheromone, and mating occurs immediately once the male reaches the female. Pairs remained in copula (Fig. 7d) from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Females of C. frigida deposit a very large number of pale-yellow eggs; larger females lay over 400 eggs, although most females lay around 250. When placed in a vial, females immediately begin to oviposit, and most eggs are oviposited in one day. Of several thousand eggs obtained by maintaining captive females, none developed right away. Eggs kept at room temperature turned pink after 15–20 days, and eclosed after 30–35 days. Eggs maintained in the refriger

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