Archithosia (Acanthosia) tryphosa ( Kiriakoff, 1958 )

Durante, Antonio, Potenza, Luigi & Pellegrino, Gabriele, 2025, Revision of the subgenus Acanthosia Krüger, 2015 in the genus Archithosia Birket-Smith, 1965, with a description of four new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Zootaxa 5659 (3), pp. 407-425 : 411

2) Archithosia (Acanthosia) tryphosa ( Kiriakoff, 1958) species group

♂. Ala valvae without process on dorsal margin, slender, vaguely L-shaped, with an acute dorso-basal process (dp in Fig. 6C ). In addition: acute or flattened processus basalis plicae (pb in Fig. 6C ); supravalva merging from basis valvae after a distance from ala valvae; valvellae knife-shaped.

♀. Lamella postvaginalis concave with a central swelling; ductus bursae fairly broad, forming a cervix (Figs. 14 and 17 in Birket-Smith 1965) (this character does not match the female genitalia of A. Tryphosa in the original description, but see remarks below).

Remarks. The female of A. Tryphosa ( Fig. 6E ), described together with the male by Kiriakoff (1958), displays different genital morphology from the other females of the group, in contrast matching well with the female genitalia of the A. flavifrontella species group above, including the species flavifrontella itself. This suggests that the female described by Kiriakoff (1958: 16–17) should be moved to the flavifrontella species group and indeed be ascribed to the species Archithosia (Acanthosia) flavifrontella , which is also present in Kiriakoff’s list (1958: 18), the female of Tryphosa thereby remaining unknown.

Archithosia parva sp. nov. is placed here only tentatively due to the missing central swelling of lamella postvaginalis.

Included species (with geographic range)

Archithosia (Acanthosia) tryphosa ( Kiriakoff, 1958) ( DRC, Uganda, Kenya)

Archithosia (Acanthosia) duplicata Birket-Smith, 1965 ( Nigeria, Cameroon)

Archithosia (Acanthosia) similis Birket-Smith, 1965 ( Cameroon, Gabon)

Archithosia (Acanthosia) parva sp. nov. ( Gabon)

Figures

FIGURE 6. Archithosia (Acanthosia) species, genitalia. A. A. flavifrontella, male, ventral view, g. sl. n. 1245 MAD, Ipassa, Gabon. B. Same, aedeagus, lateral view, enlarged. C. A. tryphosa, holotype, male, ventral view, Arctiidae genitalia slide n. 44 BMNH, Ruwenzori Range, Bwamba Pass, Uganda. D. Same, aedeagus, lateral view. E. A. tryphosa, allotype, female, ventral view, Arctiidae genitalia slide n. 45 BMNH, same data as holotype.