Hypsocompe nubilus, Laguerre, Michel, 2023

Laguerre, Michel, 2023, Generic revision of Hypercompe Hübner, [1818] and allied genera with descriptions of new genera and new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), Faunitaxys 11 (75), pp. 1-34 : 16-17

Hypsocompe nubilus Laguerre sp. n.

BOLD:AAX1900

ZooBank: https://zoobank.org/ A0410FB8-4CB0-4F55-AA43-0D10FE6B20DC

Holotype, ♂, NICARAGUA. MADRIZ, Rte Somoto - Sta Teresa, PK 12, 29- VII-2000, 1400 m, M. Laguerre leg. Gen. ML 1943 (white manuscript label), Sample ID MILA0294(yellow printed label) –BOLDProcessIDARCTA575-07. WillbedepositedinMNHN.

Diagnosis. – A small species with a dense pattern of subrectangular black patches on forewings and plain dark grey hindwings.

Male description ( Fig.20)

Antennae long, thin and black, shortly ciliate. Head with frons black and vertex creamy-white. Short palpi, black. Tegulae white with a triangular black patch. Patagia white with a line of two round black spots, the posterior one larger. Thorax creamy-white with a wide median black bar and two round black spots posteriorly, black and very hairyunderside. Forewings with a white background and apatternof subrectangularblack spots.Oncostafiveblack spots.Nearbase a tilted line of three black dots, then a median band of large black spots going from inner margin to costa, the veins being white. A double postmedian band of spots going from tornusto near apex.Finally, a row of submarginal black spots of variable size and two black streakson margin from CuA 1 to M 2. Hindwings plain grey with two creamy square patches on the costa. The margin slightly darker. Underside identical to upper side but on forewings the background is largely suffused with grey leaving some white patches near base and margin.

Female. – Unknown.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 21).

Tegumen subrectangular. Short, lanceolate valvae, not reaching the base of uncus. They are narrowed in the last third with a pointed tip. Uncus short and narrow, strongly sclerotized and shaped as a hook. Below uncus a granulose sclerotized process shaped as a reverse wide "V". Transtilla present as two short sclerotized narrow bars. Vinculum evenly rounded with a short rounded saccus. Juxta prominentand shaped as anhourglass. The aedeagus is short and cylindrical, not strongly sclerotized but displays a wrinkled scobinate vesica bearing near base a spherical sclerotized area and a small area of cornuti near base of ductus ejaculatorius. Caecum penis present and with pointed extremity.Tergite VIII trapezoidal with rounded angles.

Early stages. – Unknown.

Etymology. – From the Latin nubilus which means "of a dark colour".

Distribution. – Presently only know at medium altitudes from the mountain range in the North-West of Nicaragua close to the Honduras border.

Discussion. – See preceding species discussion.