Favoritos de gaudettelaura

collected by Laura Gaudette
dissected/determined by JoAnne Russo

Vesica armed with a semi-triangular piece of chitin, consisting of three close spines joined on a broadened base; long spines, flanked by several shorter ones and with a small cluster of quite short spines at its base; an obscure, twisted, semi-cylindrical piece of chitin.

collected by Laura Gaudette
dissected/determined by JoAnne Russo

Vesica armed with a semi-triangular piece of chitin, consisting of three close spines joined on a broadened base; long spines, flanked by several shorter ones and with a small cluster of quite short spines at its base; an obscure, twisted, semi-cylindrical piece of chitin..

Exciting! Instantly recognizable as the new genus & species first photographed by @chloe_and_trevor & identified as that by C.R. Bartlett: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107311379

Some notes:
1) Collected four specimens, two in 90% alcohol. Will deposit them in a collection (e.g., UC Riverside or could send them to UDelaware if there is interest)
2) Likely host-specific on Bebbia juncea. I consistently found them on Bebbia, but not on any other plants in the area. Should make collecting these much easier...
3) The darkness of the wing band seems quite variable
4) Not sure the status of this, e.g., if a description effort is already underway. But would be great to get this described (and perhaps also to be involved)

@nomolosx @delphax @hopperdude215

collected by J.G. Franclemont from the Cornell Insect Collection, no exact location given; moth identified by dissection (JoAnne Russo); no spines in vesica, phallus with a lightly sclerotized U-shaped process, and strong, tooth-like projection near base of valvae distinguish this from T. abjectarius and T. cinctarius.

The highlight of the night for me. I'm not sure what genus. Paradascalia is the closest I've seen but it lacks the bilobed wing that Paradascalia edax should have (the only species recorded in the US). Didn't collect it