Noctuidae - Agaristinae - Xerociris

Xerociris Cockerell

Ciris Grote, 1863, Proc. Ent. Soc. Philadelphia, 2:65.   A junior homonym of Ciris Kock, 1846. The objective replacement name is Xerociris Cockerell 1904.

Xerociris Cockerell, 1904, Ent. News, 15:76.  An objective replacement name for Ciris Grote 1863, a junior homonym of Ciris Koch 1846.

Xerociris is a monotypic genus with the single known species wilsonii from Texas and Mexico. The larvae feed on species of the plant family Vitaceae. The principle morphological features of this genus are:

  1. Male antennae pectinate, female simple.
  2. Frontal process present. a triangular protuberance, protuberance continued dorsally as a ridge continuing up to dorsal margin of frons and midline of occiput; frons separated by distinct suture from occiput; lower margin of front protuberance excavated and concave, filled with thin scales tightly affixed to frons and hard to remove by brushing.
  3. Palpi with second segment about one and one-half times longer than third; third segment oriented outwardly, giving apex of palpi a downward curved appearance.
  4. Basal abdominal hair pencils and Stobbe's glands absent.
  5. Male eighth sternum u-shaped, without cephalad-lateral apodemes and without an internal row of long hairs; eighth tergite a square to rectangular, solid sclerite with a broad cephalad base.
  6. Male genitalia with lateral socii-like structures present at the base of the uncus, each socus with a broad base and a projecting, elongate triangular process; anal tube with a dorsal sclerotized plate.
  7. Juxta of male genitalia a heavily sclerotized, trapezoidal single plate.
  8. Male clasper very large consisting of a large, ovate plate with a hook on its lower margin.
  9. Shape of aedeagus a small swelling at the base tapering to a very long tail.
  10. Female genitalia with a very small corpus bursa.

Included Species


Xerociris wilsonii