Lophocampa azuayensis, Vincent, Benoit, 2018

Vincent, Benoit, 2018, Two new species of the Neotropical Lophocampahyalinipuncta (Rothschild) group (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), ZooKeys 788, pp. 57-67 : 60-61

Lophocampa azuayensis sp. n. Figs 1, 3, 5-6, 9, 11

Type material.

Holotype - ♂, Ecuador, Azuay province, 5 km road LA PAZ - ONA, 3°21'50"S; 79°11'31"W, 06.02.2012; 3020 m, leg. R. Brechlin & V. Siniaev, genitalia dissected by Michel Laguerre. n° ML 2514, Barcode ID GWOTP625-15, Sample ID BC ZSM Lep 92116, MWM in ZSM, will be deposited in PUCE.

Additional material.

Paratype, ♀, same data as holotype, genitalia dissected by B. Vincent. n° BV 482, Barcode ID GWOTP626-15, Sample ID BC ZSM Lep 92117, MWM in ZSM.

Diagnosis.

See Table 1.

Description.

Female identical to male except as noted. Head. Antenna bipectinate, female with pectinations shorter than male, brown with yellowish base and brownish cilia. Frons brown on the inferior half, white on the superior half. Vertex brown, with white setae near the antenna insertion. Palpi erected, brown, the third article very short with white setae at the apex.

Thorax. Patagia white with a square brown spot centred with whitish. Tegulae white except base and inner edge dark brown; presence of two brown spot centred with whitish. Thorax light yellow with a strong medial black line. Legs, femur brown on basal half, bright yellow on apical half, except for brown apex. Prothoracic tibia and tarsi brown on the outer side, whitish on the inner side. Meso- and metathoracic tibia and tarsi brown, ringed with white on the outer side, whitish on the inner side. Forewing. Forewing length 22 mm (male) and 25 mm (female). Brown, very lightly sprinkled with light brown. The venation slightly darker than the ground colour. A series of bands formed by white spots as follows: a basal band consisting of three white spots; an post-basal band broken at medial vein an antemedial band incomplete, without spots on costa and anal border; a medial line incomplete, limited to a spot on the costa and a large spot that reaches the medial vein an oblique postmedial band, complete, the spot between veins M2 and M3 very small; a complete subterminal line, made of well aligned rounded spots whose edges almost reach the margin; a terminal line of white dots. Hindwing. White, slightly tinged with brown markings at the apex.

Abdomen: Tergites pale yellow with long brownish setae in the basal half of the medial axis, with a lateral series of brown spots. Sternites whitish with brown patches, these centred with yellowish. Male genitalia. Uncus rectangular and setose enlarged in the medial area. Tegumen short. Saccus tongue shaped, weakly sclerotized and folded ventrally. Valvae symmetrical, wide at the base then narrowed sharply into a pointed apical end slightly inverted ventrally, greatly exceeding the uncus apex. Cucullus slender, elongate, with an apex slightly curved ventrally. Juxta narrow with two arms fused apically. Transtilla formed by two slightly diverging triangular tongues, separated by a central unsclerotised area. Aedeagus: Penis straight, short, caecum penis present. Vesica wide with four diverticuli: one dorsal, the largest, with a patch of long spines; two lateral, simple, with at the apex a very dense patch of short spines; the last, ventral, multi-lobed with a patch of sparse short spines.

Female genitalia. Apophyses posteriores straight. Apophyses anteriores shorter, very slightly curved. Papillae anales rectangular and setose. Pseudopapillae small. Dorsal saccular pheromone glands reduced. Ductus bursae short, rectangular with an extension on the right (ventral view). Corpus bursae very reduced, wrinkled, formed by two rounded lobes folded one over the other.

Etymology.

The specific epithet, azuayensis , refers to the province of Azuay, Ecuador where the type locality is located.

Distribution.

Ecuador, Azuay province (Figure 14). The type locality corresponds to secondary forest zones of the evergreen high montane formation, which extends from 3000 to 3400 meters above sea level, in the Azuay province. This formation marks the transition between the cloud forest and the páramo. This forest also called Ceja Andina is very similar to the cloud forest in its physiognomy and in the quantity of epiphytic mosses and plants, but differs in structure and size.

Early stages.

Unknown.