Hypotrabala retorta, 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 : 29-31

Hypotrabala retorta sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5F8CC931-0162-4955-8D81-876655CC3F27

( Figs 11–13 , 63 )

Holotype ♂ ( ANHRT):

“ LIBERIA 700m / Nimba Mountains, Mount Gangra / western slope / 7°33’29.73”N, 8°38’16.4”W / 16-17.iii.2017 Light Trap (250w / blended bulb) & cold cathode UV / light bucket trap / Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. Leg. / ANHRT:2017.36 // ANHRTUK / 00056279 // Gen. slide No. / LG 6303 ♂ / prep. by Gy. M. Laszlo [black border; partially handwritten]”

Paratypes (3♂♂ 1♀):

GUINEA: Geipa camp, Forêt de Diecké , 435m, 07°26’07.06”N, 08°50’47.87”W, 05–14.iv.2019, leg. S. Sáfián & S. Koivogui (1♀ ANHRT) ; LIBERIA: Mount Gangra summit, Nimba Mountains , 974m, 07°32’45.82”N, 08°38’09.36”W, 17–25.iii.2017, leg. S. Sáfián & G. Simonics (1♂ ANHRT) ; Foya Proposed Protected Area , 530m, 07°56’36”N, 10°16’36”W, 10–19.xi.2017, leg. M. Aristophanous, S. Sáfián, G. Simonics & L. Smith (2♂♂ ANHRT) .

Description.

Forewing length: holotype 28 mm: paratype males: 26–29 mm; paratype female: 42 mm.

Upperside. Ground colour of head and thorax toffee, irrorated with brown scales; abdomen ochraceous-salmon. Antenna bipectinate, brown. Forewing angled at apex, outer margin gently arcuate, anal margin convex. Ground colour toffee slightly darker towards the outer margin, anal margin edged with dark grey scaling. Antemedial fascia dark brown, bilineate, crenulate, indistinct, the outer of the two more pronounced, arising perpendicularly from costa, and angled to terminate perpendicularly along anal margin. Discal spot large, reniform, silvery-white and ringed in black, as wide as the widest part of the cell. Postmedial fascia dark brown, bilineate, crenulate, indistinct, the inner of the two more pronounced; arises perpendicularly from the costa and angled strongly at vein R5 terminating along anal margin. Subterminal fascia roughly parallel with outer margin, indistinct and indicated by dark brown spots of varying sizes between the veins, most notably between veins R4 and M1. Terminal fascia almost invisible. Fringe dark brown. Hindwing outer margin arcuate, almost angled at vein CuA2; ground colour buff tinted with pale ochraceous-salmon becoming darker towards anal fold. Costa with dark grey scaling. Fringe pale buff darkening slightly towards the tornus. Underside. Ground colour buff, the abdomen and hindwing slightly paler. Forewing discal spot very narrow and indistinct, white. Terminal fascia dark brown strongly bisected by the ground colour along the veins. Hindwing costal margin with dark grey scaling from base to Sc+R1 vein.

Male genitalia. Socius long, ca. two-thirds the length of valve, arms narrow at base, gradually tapered to pointed apex, almost parallel with moderately broad medial notch. Tegumen very short, strongly dilated to large, rounded inner lobe. Valve partially twisted longitudinally short, relatively broad at base tapered medially, gradually dilated postmedially, abruptly constricted subapically, then abruptly dilated with straight posterior margin, forming a somewhat t-shaped apex; dorsal margin evenly concave, ventral margin almost straight until subapical constriction preceded by abruptly convex and densely setose postmedial section. Juxta with short, pointed posteromedial process. Vinculum narrow ribbon-like medially, with somewhat triangular, apically rounded lateral plates with arcuate margins. Phallus short, coecum penis large, as long as sclerotised part of phallus, membranous sack-like, tightly attached to juxta; sclerotised section of phallus tapered distad, postmedially curved dorsad, apically pointed. Vesica basally inflated, relatively small, somewhat cordate, finely scobinate with two moderately long, strongly sclerotised non-serrate narrow longitudinal plates basally forming a crescent with arched arms; posterior sclerotisation absent. Eighth sternite with posteromedially enlarged chevron-like plate with relatively long, pointed anterolateral apodemes and two short, narrow, distally tapered, apically pointed, slightly diverging, heavily sclerotised posterior processes.

Female. Ground colour of head and thorax toffee, irrorated with brown scales; abdomen pale buff. Antenna bipectinate, rami shorter than in the male, brown. Forewing pointed at apex, outer margin very gently arcuate and sinuate. Ground colour toffee. Antemedial fascia dark greyish-brown, bilineate, crenulate, arising perpendicularly from costa, and angled to terminate perpendicularly along anal margin. Discal spot large, reniform, dark greyish-brown, as wide as the widest part of the cell. Postmedial fascia dark greyish-brown, bilineate, crenulate, the inner of the two more pronounced; arises perpendicularly from the costa and angled strongly at vein R5 terminating along anal margin. Subterminal fascia roughly parallel with outer margin, indistinct and indicated by dark greyish-brown spots of varying sizes, most notably in spaces R5 and M1; the spots overlay an indistinct band of white scaling arising in space M1 and continuing to the tornus. Terminal fascia dark grey edged distally with orange, broadest near apex and becoming weakly defined towards tornus, strongly bisected by orange scales along veins. Fringe greyish-brown. Hindwing outer margin evenly arcuate, sharply angled at vein Sc+R1; ground colour pale buff; costa with toffee scaling. Fringe pale buff. Underside. Ground colour toffee, the abdomen and hindwing slightly paler. Forewing slightly ferruginous basally; terminal fascia dark brown most pronounced near apex and tornus, strongly bisected by the ground colour along the veins. Hindwing costal margin with dark grey scaling from base to Sc+R1 vein.

Diagnosis. The distinctive H. retorta is easily distinguished from the sympatric H. guttata based on features of external habitus and male genitalia. In the latter the ground colour is orange, the discal spot is large and circular, and there is more dark scaling on the forewing. In the male genitalia of H. guttata , the socii are broader, the valves are long and apically pointed, the longitudinal plates of the vesica are serrated and the posterior processes of the eighth sternite are twice the length of the central plate.

DNA divergences. The new species has been assigned the BIN BOLD:AAZ7770. Intraspecific PWDs ranged from 0.9–1.7% (n=3) and interspecific PWDs were 5.0–5.3% between the new species and H. aurantiaca .

Derivatio nominis. The new species derives its name from the unique twisted valves of the male genitalia.

Figures

Figures 5–13. Hypotrabala species: 5. H. guttata (Aurivillius, 1915), ♂, Ivory Coast, Tai NP [ANHRTUK 00024479]. 6. Id., holotype ♂ of Pachymeta guttata Aurivillius, 1915 [NHMUK 010292296]. 7. H. magnimacula sp. n., holotype ♂. 8. Id., paratype ♂. 9. H. aurantiaca sp. n., holotype ♂. 10. Id., paratype ♂. 11. H. retorta sp. n., holotype ♂. 12. Id., paratype ♂. 13. Id., paratype ♀.

Figures 60–65. 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). 60. H. guttata (Aurivillius, 1915), Liberia [LG 6298]. 61. H. magnimacula sp. n., holotype [LG 6299]. 62. H. aurantiaca sp. n., holotype [LG 6301]. 63. H. retorta sp. n., holotype [LG 6303]. 64. H. castanea, Republic of Congo [LG 6317]. 65. H. smithi sp. n., holotype [LG 6315].