Hypotrabala extenuata, 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 : 33-34

Hypotrabala extenuata sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:76D27E4F-522B-41F7-87E1-F2249FFCD6D8

( Figs 20–21 , 67 )

Holotype ♂ ( ANHRT):

“ GUINEA 540-600m / 619km ESE of Conakry, / Nzerekore Region , / Prefecture de Lola, / Ziela env., x.2017 / 7°42’N, 8°21’W / Local collectors Leg. / ANHRT:2020.6 // ANHRTUK / 00222881 // Gen. slide No. / LG 6309 ♂ / prep. by Gy. M. Laszlo [black border; partially handwritten]”

Paratypes (2♂♂):

GUINEA: Nimba Mountains, SMFG concession area, Cité 1 camp, 700m, 07°42’02.83”N, 08°23’58.60”W, 16–25.viii.2017, leg. S. Sáfián (1♂ ANHRT) ; LIBERIA: Wologizi Mts. , base camp forest, 611m, 08°07’17”N, 09°57’42”W, 20.xi–01.xii.2017, leg. M. Aristophanous, S. Sáfián, G. Simonics & L. Smith (1♂ ANHRT) .

Description.

Forewing length: holotype: 18 mm; paratypes: 17–18 mm.

Upperside. Ground colour of head and thorax brown, irrorated with pale yellow scales; abdomen buff. Antenna bipectinate, brown. Forewing pointed at apex, outer margin almost straight and gently sinuate. Ground colour golden-brown, irrorated with dark brown scales and an area of mother-of-pearl like reflection medially. Antemedial fascia dark brown, bilineate, crenulate, arising perpendicularly from costa, and angled to terminate perpendicularly along anal margin; the outer of the two broader near the costa. Discal spot narrow ovoid, silvery-white and ringed in dark brown, as wide as the widest part of the cell. Postmedial fascia dark brown, bilineate, crenulate, arising perpendicularly from the costa where it is broadest, and angled strongly at vein R5 forming a large dark patch at vein CuA1 that continues to the tornus. Subterminal fascia dark brown, curved and broadening from apex to outer margin at vein CuA2 and interrupted at vein M1, edged with a pale yellow band of equal width on its outer edge. Terminal area dark olive-brown filling the space left by the subterminal fascia; golden spots indicate termination of veins. Fringe dark grey. Hindwing outer margin arcuate, sinuate. Ground colour buff with a rosy-hue; costa with dark brown scaling. Fringe pale yellow irrorated with dark brown scaling turning dark grey from vein CuA2 to tornus. Underside. Ground colour golden-brown, the abdomen and hindwing warm pale yellow. Forewing paler distally, with a mother-of-pearl reflective patch as on upperside. Discal spot pale, yellow. Postmedial fascia as on upperside but only the broad section from costa to vein R5 pronounced. Subterminal fascia as on upperside but paler and less well-defined. Terminal area strongly bisected by golden scales along veins. Hindwing costal margin with dark grey scaling from base to Sc+R1 vein.

Male genitalia. Socius relatively short, ca. half the length of valve, broad at base, gradually tapered in anterior third, apical third slightly dilated, pointing laterad, inner margin straight, outer margin convex in anterior half, concave in posterior half, apex rounded club-shaped, arms situated moderately far apart. Tegumen short, relatively broad with gently arched inner margin. Valve very short, narrow at base, gradually tapered to pointed apex, strongly curved dorsad subapically. Juxta with very short, rounded posteromedial process. Vinculum narrow ribbon-like medially, with short, somewhat triangular, apically rounded 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 tapered distad, strongly curved dorsad postmedially, apically pointed. Vesica basally inflated, relatively small, spherical, without diverticulum. Inflated section of vesica with three serrate plates originating anteriorly, a long continuous weak serration on the left, a very short interrupted finely serrate plate in the middle and a short continuous serration with sharp teeth on the right side; posterior end of inflated vesica with a long, interrupted diagonal serration. Eighth sternite with narrow curly bracket-shaped base with short, apically rounded anterolateral apodemes, posteromedially with two long narrow, subapically dilated then abruptly tapered, apically sharply pointed flexible processes with arms running parallel and very close to each other in basal half, diverging in posterior half.

Diagnosis. Hypotrabala extenuata and H. exquisita share very similar phenotypes but in the latter, the forewing subterminal fascia is narrower and edged with a broader pale yellow band on its outer edge, the hindwing lacks a rosy hue while in the male genitalia, the socii are basally fused and the vesica possesses a well-developed conical posterolateral diverticulum.

DNA divergences. The new species has been assigned the BIN BOLD:AFG8531 and is BIN sharing with H. exquisita . The interspecific PWD between the two species was 2.0% (n=1) and diverged by 6.4% from the nearest sample ( H. argenteoguttata ).

Derivatio nominis. The new species derives its name from the heavily reduced diverticulum of the vesica.

Figures

Figures 14–21. Hypotrabala species: 14. H. castanea Holland, 1893, ♂, Republic of Congo, Nouabalé-Ndoki NP [ANHRTUK 00284967]. 15. Id., ♂, Uganda, Kampala [NHMUK 010292297]. 16. H. smithi sp. n., holotype ♂. 17. Id., paratype ♂. 18. H. exquisita sp. n., holotype ♂. 19. Id., paratype ♂. 20. H. extenuata sp. n., holotype ♂. 21. Id., paratype ♂.

Figures 66–71. 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). 66. H. exquisita sp. n., holotype [LG 6307]. 67. H. extenuata sp. n., holotype [LG 6309]. 68. H. pruinosa sp. n., holotype [LG 6285]. 69. H. indefinita sp. n., holotype [LG 6324]. 70. H. pallens sp. n., holotype [LG 6293]. 71. H. ophioglossa sp. n., holotype [LG 6287].