Lasionycta uniformis multicolor Crabo & Lafontaine 2009

Description. Head – Antenna of male biserrate and fasciculate, individual segments triangular, 1.5–2.1× as wide as central shaft. Antenna of female filiform and ciliate. Dorsal segments slate gray proximally, mostly white with scattered slate-gray scales distally. Scape luteous off-white. Eye normal size. Palpus covered with slate gray and luteous off-white scales. Frons luteous off-white centrally, gray laterally. Top of head a mixture of cream and white-tipped gray hair-like scales. Thorax – Vestiture hair-like luteous off-white and white-tipped gray scales, appearing a uniform slightly luteous gray. Legs covered with slate-gray and luteous scales. Tarsal segments slate gray with distal ring of luteous scales. Wings – Forewing length: males 14–16 mm (expanse 31–36 mm); females 14–16 mm (expanse 33–36 mm). Forewing covered with medium- to dark-gray, light to dark ochre-yellow, and pale bluish-white scales; appearing patchy medium to dark gray with very variable blue-gray, light- to dark-yellow, or greenish-gray patches, most prominently proximal to antemedial line, adjacent to postmedial line, and in terminal area. Lines dark gray, single. Basal and antemedial lines undulating to jagged. Medial line dark gray, weak to moderately dark. Postmedial line scalloped between veins, convex from costal margin to fold, then oblique to posterior margin. Subterminal line uneven, pale, same as terminal area in vividly colored specimens. Spots dark gray, less conspicuous than lines. Orbicular spot variable in size, round to ovoid, filling usually same color as basal area, with or without a dark-gray ocellus. Reniform spot kidney shaped, variable in prominence, evident mostly due to darker black medial part and filling; filling similar to basal area in color peripherally but usually less vivid than filling of orbicular spot, with variable dark-gray central filling in entire spot or limited to lower part. Claviform spot absent. Fringe same color as terminal area, weakly to strongly checkered with gray between veins. Ventral forewing gray, with variable suffusion of pale-luteous scales in fold, distal to discal spot, and distal to postmedial and subterminal lines. Costa darker gray, usually mixed with yellow scales. Discal spot dark gray, thin and small. Postmedial line dark gray, variable, usually thick and undulating but occasionally scalloped between veins or only evident near costa. Postmedial line pale, preceded by a wide dark-gray shade. Fringe yellow gray, checkered with darker gray between veins. Dorsal hindwing gray with darker markings. Discal spot chevron- to half-moon shaped. Postmedial line thick, similar to discal spot in darkness, undulating. Marginal area similar to discal spot and postmedial line, broad with diffuse inner margin. Fringe light gray and pale yellow proximally, pale yellow distally. Ventral hindwing luteous off-white with dusting of gray scales. Discal spot prominent, dark gray, arrowhead shaped. Postmedial line located near discal spot, slightly lighter gray than discal spot, thick and slightly ill defined, nearly even with slight undulation near anal angle. Marginal band gray, similar in darkness to postmedial line or slightly lighter, interrupted by patchy suffusion of ground color, moderately wide with diffuse inner margin. Fringe two toned, proximal row luteous off-white with scattered light-gray scales, distal portion uniform luteous off-white. Abdomen – Light gray, luteous distally in males. Male genitalia – (Fig. 172) Genital capsule and aedeagus as in L. leucocycla species-group and L. phoca sub-group descriptions. Valve approximately 7–8× as long as wide with moderately constricted neck. Digitus moderately long. Cucullus moderate size, usually with pointed apex, with corona comprised mainly of a single row of setae, partially double at apex. Vesica with 0–3 basal cornuti (N = 7). Female genitalia – (Fig. 228) Ovipositor lobe, segment VIII, and bursa copulatrix as in the L. leucocycla species-group and L. phoca sub-group descriptions.

Distribution and geographical variation. Lasionycta u. multicolor occurs from Montana Mountain in southwestern Yukon, south in the British Columbia Coast Range to the Cascades in southern Washington. The southern populations extend east to the Okanagan Trench. Populations from the Coast Range and northern Washington are variable whereas other Washington specimens are more uniformly gray. Those from mountains east of the Coast Range in British Columbia are very dark, resembling the eastern species L. phoca.