Hypercompe (Hypercompe) pantepui, Laguerre, Michel, 2023

Hypercompe (Hypercompe) pantepui Laguerre sp. n. BOLD:AAB7633

ZooBank:https://zoobank.org/ 7ECA5973-FD3B-42E7-B155-2CB42 CAD 87CE

Holotype, ♂, VENEZUELA. BOLIVAR, Road San Francisco de Yuruani to Paraitepuy, Km 8, 06-XI-2001, 1300 m, 5°1.444' N 61°3.594' W, B. Vincent leg. Dissected BV 199. Sample ID BEVI0273 – BOLD Process ID ARCTA555-079. Will be deposited in MNHN. GoogleMaps

Paratypes

VENEZUELA

1 ♂, same data as holotype, but dissected Gen. ML3252 (light-blue manuscript label), Sample ID MILA 0571 (yellow printed label) – BOLD Process ID ARCTA852-07, in MLC.

1 ♂, same data and sequenced Sample ID BEVI0254 – BOLD Process ID ARCTA536-07, in BVC.

1 ♂, same data, in MNHN .

Diagnosis. – A robust species with the classical " Hypercompe " pattern restricted to the forewing basal area in the males. Hindwing immaculate except a black band along the anal border.Anal angle clearly protruding.

Male description ( Fig.14)

Antennae black and shortly ciliate. Head and thorax hairy and creamy-white. Head with frons black and vertex white. Palpi very short black upper side and creamy white underside. Tegulae with an ovoid patch circled with black. Patagia very hairy with an elongated patch circled with black. Thorax with on each side an elongated patch circled with black on each side and posteriorly with two black dots with a metallic bluish sheen. Thorax below white with black forecoxae, the legs white with black tibiae and tarsi. Abdomen upperside orange annealed with black, below buff yellow. Forewing translucent slightly speckled with dark scales except the costa and along the inner margin which are creamy-white. On the costa five rectangular black patches. The classical " Hypercompe " pattern strong but restricted to the basal area: one grey round spot circled with black at the base, then a transverse line of three grey round spots circled with black, a transverse line of grey spots hardly visible except the two first on inner margin and then two grey spots circled with black on inner margin. On termen a line of thin black dashes interrupted by veins. Hindwings immaculate except a large and hairy black band along the anal border. The anal angle rounded and protruding. Underside identical to upper side but the black pattern is less contrasting and there are two square black dots on the hindwing costa.

Female. – Unknown.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 15)

Tergite VIII heart-shaped. Tegumen as a rectangle with rounded angles. Uncus as a large triangle bent ventrally. Valvae almost absent reduced to a small digitate translucent lobe covered with long setae. Juxta shaped as an hour-glass, largely concave on top. On each side an elongated area covered with short setae. Aedeagus stout and short. A very long caecum penis, bent at 150° near beginning. Vesica short, with a single scobinate lobe.

Early stages. – Unknown.

Etymology. – A noun in apposition by reference to the locality of the type series.

Distribution. – Presently only known from the Pantepuy area in the Gran Sabana ecoregion in Venezuela.

Discussion. – Despite its apparent similarity with the H. cunigunda group (subgenus Pseudocompe ), this species is in fact far from this subgenus, being a member of the subgenus Hypercompe . The nearest neighbours at a distance minimum of 4.2 % are the group of Hypercompe robusta , which contains large and robust species inhabiting the Andean Cordillera between 1500 and 2500 m.