Homoeocera papalo Laguerre, 2010

Laguerre, Michel, 2010, Description of two new Homoeocera Felder from Guatemala and Mexico (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae, Arctiinae, Euchromiini), ZooKeys 33 (33), pp. 29-38 : 35-36

Homoeocera papalo Laguerre , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FAD17F11-6571-4131-9297-03A3EDB2EDF5

Figs 2d , 3 j–l

Type material. Holotype: 1 ♁, MEXICO, Oaxaca, Concepcion Papalo , 2275 m, 10.VII.1997, G. Nogueira leg., (white printed label) / Gen. ML 1672 (white handwritten label) / HOLOTYPE (red printed label); deposited in MNHN, Paris.

PARATYPES (7 ♁): 1 ♁, same data as holotype [ MLC]. MEXICO: Oaxaca, Road Tuxtepec-Oaxaca, PK 86, 1750 m, VII.1992, J. Haxaire leg, 6 ♁, one dissected: Gen. ML1789. [ XLC].

Etymology. The name is a reference to the type locality, Concepcion Papalo, a small city in north east Oaxaca state. The name Papalo means butterfly.

Diagnosis. Similar to gigantea but a less robust species with elongated forewings and orange red legs. H. papalo sp. n. is intermediate in size between gigantea and georginas , but the forewings are obviously narrower and elongated. There is no yellowish cast on the forewings as in georginas , however the underside tip of antennae is white as in georginas . Palpi and legs are orange not deep crimson red as in georginas and gigantea . The genitalia of H. papalo are also very distinct from the two other species. Here, the lateral protuberances of the uncus have a very different shape, the symmetrical valvae are very short, not reaching the base of uncus. The adaegus has two long lobes of similar length, whereas the lobes are very obviously of different lengths in gigantea and georginas .

Description. Female unknown. Head, collar, tegulae, thorax and antennae deep black. The collar displays a metallic bright blue cast. Abdomen deep black upperside with bright line at the end of segments. Forewing length 20–21 mm (n = 2). Forewings elongated, transparent, entirely bordered by a black line wider than in H. georginas sp. n. specially at apex where it is enlarged and presence of a small indentation on vein CuA2. Base of wings is largely black, the subrectangular cellular spot at the end of the cell is large and conspicuous. Hindwings transparent, black border wide except on costa with an indentation on vein CuA2. The extreme base black. Underside similar to upperside, tip of the antennae white, palpi and legs orange. A milky white iridescence just inside the anal border on the hindwings.

Male Genitalia ( Fig. 3 j–l). Uncus conical, stout and pointed, with a protuberance on each side. In lateral view these protuberances are very slender with a total length exceeding half the length of uncus. In ventral view, these protuberances are semi-circular not unlike “ears”. Valvae are symmetrical, slighly curved inward and spatulate at tip, not reaching the base of uncus. Tegumen rounded and without saccus. Adaegus very characteristic, divided into two distinct parts: a dorsal long, thin, rectilinear process with the apex slightly curved downward and bearing a small smooth vesica and a ventral thin, pointed process reaching about ¾ length of the dorsal one.

Distribution and biology. Currently known only from a very restricted area in Oaxaca state in Mexico, at high altitude. The biology is unknown.

Figures

Figure 2. a Homoeocera gigantea, from Costa Rica, Cartago,Tapanti, X.1985 b Homoeocera gigantea from Guatemala, Quetzaltenango, Fuentes Georginas, 2460 m, 9.V. 2007, M. Laguerre leg. c Homoeocera georginas. nov., from Guatemala, Quetzaltenango, Fuentes Georginas, 2460 m, 9.V.2007, M. Laguerre leg. d Homoeocera papalo. nov., from Mexico, Oaxaca, Concepcion Papalo, 2275 m, 10.VII.1997, G. Nogueira leg.

Figure 3. Homoeocera male genitalia with successively: ventral view, lateral view, penis in lateral view, all in natural positions for: a–c H. gigantea from Costa Rica d–f H. gigantea from Guatemala g–i H. georginas sp. n. from Guatemala j–l H. papalo sp. n. from Mexico. Scale bar = 1 mm.