Nemoria intensaria (Pearsall, 1911). [7043]

Nemoria intensaria, adult female. Collection of American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Specimen collected 29 July 1966, Clark Co, Nevada at approx 6900 feet elevation. Note pink markings on abdomen surrounding white spots on abdominal segments A1 A3 and A4.

Nemoria intensaria, adult female. Collection of National Museum of Natural History (NMNH SMithsonian). Specimen collected 26 Apr 1950, Clark Co NV

Nemoria intensaria, adult female. Same specimen as female at left, showing bright rose pink front and legs.

Nemoria intensaria strongly resembles Nemoria caerulescens and Ferguson (1985) reported that the two species were indistinguishable on the basis of genitalic structures. The species provides an interesting case of an almost cryptic southwestern species that may be reliably distinguished from other Nemoria only on the basis of subtle adult characters, larval morphology, and perhaps DNA sequencing.  The ground color of the wing in intensaria is typically a grass green shade, similar in hue to the green wing of Nemoria obliqua. N. caerulescens is often distinguished from intensaria by a somewhat more blue turquoise shade of green on the caerulescens wing and typically thinner, less distinct am and pm lines on the intensaria wing. A series of probable Nemoria intensaria among the caerulescens specimens in USNM stands out in its different wing color, and Ferguson set these aside with a note indicating he believed them to be intensaria. Adults of Nemoria intensaria have been collected in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Utah, Nevada and California. For a species with such a broad geographic range, it is interesting that there are relatively few clearly identified specimens of intensaria available for study.  The type locality for intensaria was in Eureka, UT and the type specimen is reported to be held at the AMNH (see below). The type specimen (below) like the Nevada specimen above, has rose markings around the white abdomnial spots.

Larval stages and mtDNA are both important to distinguish between intensaria and the similar caerulescens and obliqua. Ferguson reported the larvae of intensaria reared on Rhus trilobata similar to obliqua but smoother; caerulescens larvae we reared rejected repeated offerings of Rhus trilobata and have distinctly elongated lateral protuberances on the abdominal segments, resembling eastern Nemoria species in the bistriaria group and not very similar to obliqua.

Nemoria intensaria, adult male, collected Deep Springs, Inyo Co., CA 29 August 1979. Collection of American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)

Above, Aplodes intensaria Pearsall, type specimen, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)

Spring brood male Nemoria intensaria, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah, May 4, 2013.