Hypotrabala lunda, Takano & László, 2024

Takano, Hitoshi & László, Gyula M., 2024, Descriptions of new Hypotrabala Holland, 1893 (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae: Lasiocampinae: Selenepherini) in the collections of the African Natural History Research Trust, with notes on allied genera and the description of a new genus, Ecologica Montenegrina 72, pp. 19-63 : 42-43

Hypotrabala lunda sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6BD9D29F-C9F7-4F84-9E59-F55B585E4894

( Figs 35–36 , 85 )

Holotype ♂ ( ANHRT):

“ ZAMBIA 1147m / Lukwakwa , West Lunga NP., / (Cryptosepalum forest / Dambo) / 12°39’40”S, 24°26’13”E / 9-15.xi.2018 MV Light Trap / Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., / László, G., Oram, D. Leg. / ANHRT:2018.40 // ANHRTUK / 00066337 // Gen. slide No. / LG 6313 ♂ / prep. by Gy. M. Laszlo [black border; partially handwritten]”

Paratype ♂:

ZAMBIA: same data as holotype (1♂ ANHRT) .

Description.

Forewing length: holotype: 17 mm; paratype 19 mm.

Upperside. Ground colour of head and patagia mahogany, the outer margin of the patagia highlighted in bright orange; tegulae and the rest of the thorax bright orange irrorated with mahogany scales; abdomen warm buff. Antenna bipectinate, brown. Forewing angled at apex, outer margin gently arcuate. Colouration divided into two parts by an indented line from apex to below the discal spot where it angles to terminate at middle of anal margin, the inner part bright orange and the outer mahogany. Antemedial fascia mahogany, bilineate, crenulate, arising perpendicularly from costa, and gently curved to terminate perpendicularly along anal margin. Discal spot reniform, silvery-white, the width of the cell and ringed in mahogany. Postmedial fascia mahogany, bilineate, crenulate, the outer of the two indistinct. Both arise perpendicularly from the costa and indented strongly at vein R5 terminating along anal margin; the inner forms the boundary of the dark outer half of the wing. Outer half of wing becoming paler distally, darkest in a broad band running from discal spot to tornus. Subterminal fascia dark grey, irregular, broadly parallel to the outer margin, with some indistinct orange spots on the outer edge between veins R5 and M3. Fringe dark brown. Hindwing outer margin arcuate, almost angled at vein CuA2; ground colour warm buff becoming darker towards anal fold. Costa with mahogany scaling. Fringe pale buff.

Underside. Ground colour of head and thorax warm buff; forelegs mahogany with orange irroration, mid- and hindlegs buff with mahogany irroration. Abdomen warm buff with mahogany tufts medially on each segment. Ground colour of forewing orange becoming buff posteriorly. Discal spot ovoid, buff. Only the costal region of the mahogany antemedial fascia marked. Subterminal fascia mahogany, straighter than on the upperside, indistinct; terminal area mahogany, strongly bisected with orange scales along veins. Hindwing ground colour buff, costal margin with mahogany scaling.

Male genitalia. Socius long, ca. three-quarters the length of valve, arms digitiform with rounded apex, arising relatively far from each other, parallel with posterior section slightly diverging. Tegumen moderately long, very narrow, inner margin almost straight. Valve short, very narrow basally, evenly slightly curved, tapered subapically to pointed apex. Juxta with relatively long, pointed posteromedial process. Vinculum narrow ribbon-like medially, with short, rounded-triangular lateral plates. Phallus short, coecum penis large, as long as sclerotised part of phallus, membranous sack-like, tightly attached to juxta; sclerotised section of phallus gradually tapered, curved dorsad, apically pointed. Vesica basally inflated, relatively large, finely scobinate, anteriorly with two densely serrate, slightly arched longitudinal plates consisting of fine teeth, left arm ca. twice as long as right one; posterior section of inflated vesica with a very small, dentate diagonal sclerotisation. Sclerotised plate of eighth sternite with slightly sinuous anterior margin and with two extremely long, thin, slightly arcuate distally diverging posteromedial processes.

Diagnosis. The distinctive H. lunda is allied to H. neavei but the latter is larger, the basal orange colouration of the forewing is darker and more heavily irrorated with dark brown and the hindwing is a warmer buff. In the male genitalia, the socii are shorter and narrower, the tegumen is dilated, the valves are shorter, broader and curved subapically, the vesica is more elongate with longer V-shaped serrate plates and a small subbasal dentate plate, and perhaps most conspicuously the posterior processes of the eighth sternite are half as long, straight and parallel to each other.

DNA divergences. The new species has been assigned the BIN BOLD:AAF4309. Intraspecific PWD was 0.0% (n=2) and diverged from H. neavei by 5.8–6.0%.

Derivatio nominis. The new species derives its name from the Lunda people of north-western Zambia, the region from where the type specimens originate.

Figures

Figures 29–38. Hypotrabala species: 29. H. volynkini sp. n., holotype ♂. 30. H. ophioglossa sp. n., holotype ♂. 31. H. lydiae sp. n., holotype ♂. 32. Id., paratype ♂. 33. H. tabithae sp. n., holotype ♂. 34. Id., paratype ♂. 35. H. lunda sp. n., holotype ♂. 36. Id., paratype ♂. 37. H. neavei (Aurivillius, 1915), ♂, Malawi, Mzuzu Wildlife Sanctuary [ANHRTUK 00270070]. 38. Id., holotype ♂ of Pachymeta neavei Aurivillius, 1915 [NHMUK 0010292291].

Figures 84–90. Male genitalia of Hypotrabala species, a: clasping apparatus, b: lateral view of phallus, c: eighth sternite, d: dorsal view of phallus (a, b, c to scale, d magnified). 84. H. neavei (Aurivillius, 1915), Malawi [LG 6288]. 85. H. lunda sp. n., holotype [LG 6313]. 86. H. horridula Tams, 1925, Zambia [LG 6321]. 87. Id., Zambia [LG 6325]. 88. Id., holotype, Zambia [BM Lasiocampidae 506]. 89. Id., Zambia [LG 6340]. 90. H. dollmani Tams, 1925, paratype, Zambia [BM Lasiocampidae 193].