Lophocampa sullivani Vincent & Laguerre

Vincent, Benoit & Laguerre, Michel, 2013, Four new Neotropical Lophocampa species with a redescription of Lophocampa atriceps (Hampson) (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), ZooKeys 264, pp. 47-69 : 61-62

Lophocampa sullivani Vincent & Laguerre sp. n. Figs 4, 10, 16, 2228

Type material.

Holotype - ♂, Ecuador, Pichincha, Road Chiriboga- Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Km 11, Réserve Rio Gualajito, 1969 m, 01-III-2006, 0.249°S 78.817°W, Barcode ID ARCTA933-09, Sample ID BEVI0828, B. Vincent leg., genitalia dissected by B. Vincent n° BV 289, [MNHN]. Allotype - ♀, Ecuador, Pinchicha, Rte Nono - Nanegalito, Km 25, 1840 m, 10-I-1983, C. Lemaire and N. Venedictoff leg., genitalia dissected by B. Vincent n° BV 282, Barcode ID ARCTA934-09, Sample ID BEVI0829, [MNHN]. Paratypes - Ecuador: 1 ♂, Pichincha, Road Nono -Nanegalito, pK 25, 1850 m, 30-VII-1997, Barcode ID ARCTA840-07, Sample ID MILA0559, M. Laguerre leg., genitalia dissected by M. Laguerre n° ML 316; 1 ♂, same data, genitalia dissected by M. Laguerre n° ML 1224, all [MLC]; Colombia: 2 ♂, Valle del Cauca, Finca Monte Bello, 5 km South of Bitaco, 30-I-1988, 2000 m, Bo Sullivan leg. [BSC].

Etymology.

Lophocampa sullivani is named in honor of J. Bolling Sullivan who collected this species in 1988.

Diagnosis.

Lophocampa sullivani sp. n. can be best distinguished from Lophocampa atriceps by the absence of black dots on the collar and by the structure of the genitalia. It can be distinguished from Lophocampa griseidorsata sp. n. and Lophocampa herbini sp. n. by the difference in color of the abdominal scales. Lophocampa sullivani sp. n. is very close in appearance to Lophocampa flavodorsata sp. n. but can be separated by characters of the male genitalia, including the very prominent cucullus on the valve, the more robust genitalia and the presence of only three spine fields on the vesica. The female genitalia appear to be identical to those of Lophocampa flavodorsata .

Description.

Head - pale yellowish, vertex brown with horizontal yellow bar, palpi dark fuscous with 2nd segment yellowish orange; antenna yellowish brown with brown ish ciliae. Thorax - Patagia yellowish brown with a square brown spot centered with yellow, pterygodes striated with yellowish brown and chestnut brown, thorax yellowish with admixture of brown hairs. Legs yellowish, spotted with chestnut brown, fore coxae orange. Forewing - Yellowish irrorated with chestnut brown and a series of creamy-white spots with diffuse brown edges. At base, one orange spot with two small black dots. An antemedial, very oblique series of three creamy-white spots; a medial series angled on median vein, then very oblique, the two spots towards costa small; a spot at end of cell; an oblique postmedial series of six spots starting from anal border extending to end of cell followed by two series of three large spots, one basad and one distad, the last one just on the apex has the bottom constricted; a subterminal series of four spots, one near tornus forming a <-mark, the 2nd large, those above veins 3 and 4 smaller; a terminal line of white dots on the margin. Hindwing - Yellowish white slightly tinged with fuscous on apex and along the costa. Abdomen - entirely yellowish, with lateral series of black spots and ventral surface whitish. Male genitalia - Genitalia very robust. Uncus rectangular and setose, with slightly rounded apex. Tegumen and vinculum slender. Saccus tongue shaped and folded ventrally. Valvae symmetrical, wide and relatively short with apex notched into two points: one blunt and one acute. Cucullus prominent, slender and elongate, folded inward. Juxta very narrow, with two arms fused apically in a small V-shaped sclerotized patch. Transtilla slender, shaped like a tongue interrupted in the middle. Penis rectilinear. Caecum penis present. Vesica wide with four lobes. Presence of three areas of cornuti, two densely covered with small spines and one sparsely covered with strong spines. Female - (description based on allotype): identical to male except for antennae with pectinations shorter than male and wingspan slightly larger. Female genitalia - identical to those of Lophocampa flavodorsata .

Biology and distribution.

Early stages unknown. Distribution: Ecuador (Pichincha), Colombia (Valle del Cauca).