Male

Female

Alypiodes geronimo Barnes

Pseudalypia geronimo Barnes, 1900, Canad. Ent., 32: 44.

Diagnosis: Alypiodes geronimo is a distinctive, sexually dimorphic species known only from the Huachuca and Baboquivaria Mountains of southeastern Arizona and the state of Sinaloa in Mexico. The male and female are both black with yellow-white spots, but otherwise appear very dissimilar. The best character to distinguish the species that is true of both males and females is the presence of a tuft of orange hair-like scales at the base of the forewing wrapping about the base of the costa. The male forewing is black with a narrow yellow-white spot near the costa at the approximate position of the orbicular spot. There are two further large yellow-white patches in the outer third of the median area, one at the costa and the other at the inner margin, the two spots separated by a black, narrow band. The reniform is absent, but the inner margin is apparently delineated by a thin band of metallic blue scales. These metallic blue scales are difficult to see except in reflected light and also occur along the outer margin and on some of the forewing veins. The female is much larger than the male and the inner yellow spot at the position of the orbicular spot is absent. The two larger yellow-white patches are present. The male hindwing has a large yellow-white band in the median area interrupted by black on the costa and inner margin. The yellow-white band is present both dorsally and ventrally. The male hindwing also has a puckered region of wing membrane between veins CuA1 and CuA2. The female hindwing is solid dull black both dorsally and ventrally. Wing length: (males) mean = 14.87 mm, standard deviation = 0.78 mm, n = 3; (females) mean - 18.25 mm, standard deviation = 0.62 mm, n = 10.

Distribution: This species is known only from the Huachuca and Baboquivaria Mountains of southeastern Arizona and the state of Sinaloa in Mexico. The size of the yellow-white spots on the forewing is slightly variable in males and females. Adults have been collected in July and August.

Identification Quality: Excellent

Larva: Unknown

Foodplants: There is a female adult in the USNM with an associated pupal case with the notation "on cactus plants".

Similar Species

Alypiodes bimaculata