Hapigia violetta Becker, 2023

Becker, Vitor Osmar, 2023, Three new species of the Neotropical genus Hapigia Guenée from Brazil (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae, Heterocampinae), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 63, pp. 1-7 : 4-6

Hapigia violetta Becker , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1C, D, 3 E-G, 4H)

Diagnosis: FW violaceus brown with the three silvery dots disposed on an oblique, straight line; HW fuscous with darker veins.

Description: Male FW length 28-30 mm (62-66 mm wingspan), female 40 mm (87 mm wingspan). Male ( Fig. 1C) FW violaceus-red; pale fuscous blotch at base, before basal band, from below cell to dorsum; pair of reddish-ochreous round blotches between basal and antemedial bands, one in, the other below cell; a triangular, diffuse slightly pale area on tornus, with basal angle from lower end of cell, extending to termen above tornus; basal, antemedial, and postmedial bands whitish, edged dark brown outside: antemedial dentate between veins; postmedial with scales on veins more contrasting, forming a dotted line, slightly curved from distal third of costa to M3, then straight to dorsum before tornus; three silvery dots of near same size, disposed on an oblique straight line at distal end of cell; subterminal line formed by diffuse, white dots; brown ventrally, with a mark in the cell, an area below, and a band along margin, pale fuscous. HW dorsally dark fuscous, veins contrastingly darker; pale fuscous ventrally. Abdomen dark fuscous dorsally,reddish-brown ventrally, except pale towards tip. Female ( Fig. 1D) darker and with FW broader than in male.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 3E): Uncus bent ventrally, slightly narrower along middle, slightly expanded towards short, thin, laterally compressed apex. Socii almost as long as uncus, bent dorsally, slightly thickened along middle. Valva longer than uncus, broad basally, narrowing gradually towards round apex; costa straight, ventral margin round basally, straight to apex. Juxta a shield plate with a long, thin process posteriorly. Vinculum strongly indent- ed medially. Phallus ( Fig. 3F) straight, strongly reduced at basal fourth; vesica with a scobinate area laterally.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 4H): Very similar to those of H.postpallida (see below), but antrum much shorter than wide. Material studied (2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ 3 g. s.): Holotype ♂, BRAZIL:

1♂, Rondônia, Cacaulândia, Fazenda Rancho Grande , 140 m, 15-20-IV-1996, g. s. 6134 (Becker 107287) ( VOB) ; Paratypes: 1♂, same locality as holotype, 13-31-XII-1997, g. s. 4978, (Becker 112023) ; ECUADOR: 1♀, Napo, Misahualli , 450 m, XII-1992, g. s. 6137 (Becker 100960) ( VOB) .

Distribution: Brazil and Ecuador, in West Amazons.

Etymology: From the Latin viola = violet; a noun in the nominative, feminine, in apposition.

Remarks: Similar to H. curvilinea ( Fig. 1E) and H. violacea ( Figs. 1A, B), but easily distinguished by the silver dots on FW, as explained under. In H. violetta the three dots are nearly the same size and disposed as an oblique, straight line.The valva ( Fig. 3E) is broather than that of H. violacea ( Fig. 3A), but narrower than that of H. curvilinea ( Fig. 3I).