Hypotrabala giustii, 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 : 44-45

Hypotrabala giustii sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5318CDDB-78D7-43C9-A94C-C1AE5109A43A

( Figs 43–44 , 73 )

Holotype ♂ ( ANHRT):

“ IVORY COAST 95m / Station d’Ecologie de Lamto / (Riverine Forest) / 06°13’2”N, 05°1’32”W / 21- 25.xi.2021 MV Light Trap / Moretto, P., Mulvaney, L., / Takano, H. Leg. / ANHRT:2021.8 // ANHRTUK / 00265921 // Gen. slide No. / LG 6295 ♂ / prep. by Gy. M. Laszlo [black border; partially handwritten]”

Paratypes (6♂♂):

IVORY COAST: same data as holotype (4♂♂ ANHRT; 1♂ NHMUK) ; LIBERIA: Krahn-Bassa Reserve , 7.5km SW Pellokon Town, 140m, 05°39’04”N, 08°39’04”W, 14–20.i.2018, leg. M. Geiser, S. Sáfián & G. Simonics (1♂ ANHRT) .

Description.

Forewing length: holotype: 22 mm; paratypes: 19–22 mm.

Upperside. Ground colour of head and thorax mahogany irrorated with pale orange scales; abdomen buff. Antenna bipectinate, brown. Forewing rounded at apex, outer margin gently arcuate. Ground colour of wing pale orange irrorated with mahogany scales. Antemedial fascia mahogany, bilineate, crenulate, the inner of the two less pronounced, arising perpendicularly from costa, and gently angled to terminate perpendicularly along anal margin. Discal spot reniform, silvery-white and ringed in mahogany. Postmedial fascia mahogany, bilineate, crenulate, the outer of the two indistinct. Both arise perpendicularly from the costa angled strongly at vein R5 terminating along anal margin; the outer forms the boundary of the dark outer half of the wing except for between M3and CuA2 where it is indented and the inner line forms the boundary. Area beyond postmedial fascia grey, turning paler distally. Subterminal fascia charcoal, broadly running parallel to the outer margin, irregular, indented, most strongly defined on its outer edge. Terminal area grey bisected by orange scales along veins. Fringe dark greyish-brown. Hindwing outer margin arcuate, almost angled at vein CuA2; ground colour warm buff turning darker towards the anal fold. Costa with brownish scaling. Fringe buff.

Underside. Ground colour of head, thorax and abdomen buff; forelegs brown. Ground colour of both wings buff, hindwing slightly paler. Discal spot ovoid, pale yellow indistinct. Subterminal and terminal fascia as on upperside but less well-defined. Hindwing with mahogany scaling along costa.

Male genitalia. Socius moderately long, ca. one-third the length of valve, arms digitiform with rounded apex, arising far apart from each other, largely diverging at ca. 100° angle. Tegumen moderately long and broad, inner margin arcuate. Valve long, narrow basally, gradually tapered to pointed tip, gently arched dorsad subapically. Juxta with short, pointed posteromedial process. Vinculum narrow ribbon-like medially, with short, truncate lateral plates with straight margins. Phallus short, coecum penis large, as long as sclerotised part of phallus, membranous sack-like, tightly attached to juxta; sclerotised section of phallus slightly dilated medially, then tapered and curved dorsad, apically pointed. Vesica basally inflated, relatively large, somewhat ovoid, finely scobinate, anteriorly with two densely serrate longitudinal plates consisting of fine teeth, right serration ca. twice as long as left one, conjoined with short posterior diagonal dentate plate. Sclerotised plate of eighth sternite anteriorly evenly concave, posteriorly slightly dilated to two short triangular plates possessing short, converging process-like sclerotisations divided by shallow medial depression.

Diagnosis. Hypotrabala giustii is most similar in external habitus to H. argenteoguttata but the latter is a larger moth, the ground colour of the forewing is a golden yellow and the hindwing is buff. In the male genitalia of the latter, the socii are shorter and pointed, with a narrower gap in between the two arms, the valves are shorter and medially slightly arcuate. The male genitalia are most similar to H. pruinosa and H. indefinita but the valves of these two latter species are 15-20% shorter and gently arcuate.

DNA divergences. The new species has been assigned the BIN BOLD:AAF4215. The single barcoded specimen differs by 2.7% from the nearest sample ( H. horridula ).

Derivatio nominis. The new species is dedicated with great pleasure to Alessandro Giusti, Senior Curator of Lepidoptera, NHMUK , who with kindness and grace, has facilitated numerous visits over the years by the senior author to study the Bombycoidea under his care.

Figures

Figures 39–49. Hypotrabala species: 39. H. tamsi sp. n., holotype ♂. 40. Id., paratype ♂. 41. H. argenteoguttata (Aurivillius, 1909), ♂, Mozambique, Maputo Special Reserve [ANHRTUK 00035111]. 42. Id., ♂, Kenya, Shimba Hills [ANHRTUK 00235806]. 43. H. giustii sp. n., holotype ♂. 44. Id., paratype ♂. 45. H. horridula Tams, 1925, ♂, Zambia, Hillwood [ANHRTUK 00224481]. 46. Id., holotype ♂ [NHMUK 010292292]. 47. Id., ♂, Zambia, Nyangombe Falls [ANHRTUK 00067068]. 48. Id., ♂, Zambia, Lukwakwa [ANHRTUK 00066310]. 49. Id., ♀, Zambia, Ntumbachushi Falls [ANHRTUK 00276150].

Figures 72–77. 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). 72. H. obscura sp. n., holotype [LG 6331]. 73. H. giustii sp. n., holotype [LG 6295]. 74. Id., paratype [LG 6296]. 75. H. argenteoguttata (Aurivillius, 1909), Mozambique [LG 6322]. 76. H. tamsi sp. n., holotype [LG 6291]. 77. Id., paratype, Cameroon [LG 6290].