Architesma Birket-Smith, 1965

Genus Architesma Birket-Smith, 1965 View in CoL , stat. n.

Archithosia (Architesma) Birket-Smith, 1965 , A revision of the West African Eilemic moths, based on the male genitalia: 29 (Type species: Archithosia (Architesma) sordida Birket-Smith, 1965 View in CoL , by original designation).

= Archithosia (Eurythosia) Krüger, 2015 , Transvaal Museum Memoir, 15: 26 (Type species: Ilema makomensis Strand, 1912 sensu Birket-Smith (1965) View in CoL and Krüger (2015), by original designation), syn. n.

Remarks. (1) The genitalia morphology of Architesma is most similar to Acanthosia in many aspects. However, these two lineages are clearly recognisable by their morphology without any transitional taxa of unclear placement being known. Considering this fact along with some important morphological differences in male genitalia such as the structure of the juxta, anellus, editum-costa complex, basal saccular process and the valva itself, Architesma and Acanthosia are accepted as distinct genera in the present paper. (2) Krüger (2015) erected the subgenus Eurythosia to include species with ‘plica centripetalis absent’ i.e., the relatively short editum- costa complex, as opposed to the type species of Architesma , A. sordida having an elongate editum-costa complex bearing a distal ampulla. Considering the morphological diversity of species demonstrated in the present paper, it became clear that the length of the editum-costa complex as well as the presence or absence of the ampulla are not generic characters as the counterparts occur even in pairs of species with very similar genitalia morphology in all other aspects (e.g., A. sordida and A. diffusa sp. n.). Thus, Eurythosia is herein synonymised with Architesma . (3) Four nominal taxa of Architesma are not considered in the present paper, viz. A. makomensis ( Strand, 1912) with its junior subjective synonym Eilema fuscicorpus Hampson, 1914 , A. angulifascia (Strand, 1913) and A. jaundeana ( Strand, 1912) . The current treatment of these taxa ( Birket-Smith 1965; Kühne 2007; Krüger 2015; Durante et al. 2024) is erroneous due to confusion with the type specimens and their genitalia preparations, and their identity will be clarified later in a separate paper (Volynkin, in prep.). (4) In his book, Krüger (2015) associated “ Phryganopsis ” kinuthiae Kühne, 2007 described from Kakamega Forest with his subgenus Eurythosia of Archithosia . However, this species lacks the basal saccular process and its male and female genitalia ground plan as well as the external morphology are most similar to the genus Hyleilema Krüger, 2015 therefore this species is transferred to Hyleilema in the present paper: Hyleilema kinuthiae ( Kühne, 2007) , comb. n., and its relationships within the genus will be clarified later in the revision of Hyleilema (Volynkin, in prep.).

Diagnosis. Most species of the genus ( Figs 43–80 View Figures 43–52 View Figures 53–62 View Figures 63–75 View Figures 76–88 ) are relatively large and externally similar to Asbolopsyche therefore reliable genus identification requires the examination of genitalia structures. Certain species of Architesma ( Figs 81–83 View Figures 76–88 ) are also reminiscent of the genus Tesma (see: Krüger 2015), but can be distinguished by their larger size. The differences in the genitalia structures of the genera are discussed above in the diagnosis of the Archithosia generic complex. The genital structures of Architesma are characterised by the combination of the following features. Male ( Figs 114–145 View Figures 114–117 View Figures 118–121 View Figures 122–125 View Figures 126–128 View Figures 130–133 View Figures 134–137 View Figures 138–141 View Figures 142–145 ). (1) The uncus is downcurved, strongly proximally swollen and gradually tapered distally (except for A. frondosa sp. n.) whereas in Acanthosia its distal section is narrower and straight. (2) The scaphium is weakly sclerotised but with a gelatinous base, thin plate-like, and in certain species apically bifurcate, whereas the scaphium of Acanthosia is string-like. (3) The arms of the tegumen are moderately dilated dorsally, and fused in their distal halves or somewhat less (except for A. frondosa sp. n.). The dorsal ends of the arms have sclerotised plates extending dorso-posteriad into the base of the tuba analis towards the base of the scaphium (a feature in common with Acanthosia which have, however, narrower and more elongate plates). (4) The vinculum has laterally flattened, strip-like arms. (5) The dorsal section of the valva is elongate, narrow with nearly parallel margins, apically rounded, and fused with the sacculus in its proximal third or half whereas in Acanthosia these two regions of the valva are deeply separated and fused only in the basal section of the valva. (6) The dilated part of the costa occupies the base of the outer wall of the valva while its thin distal section stretches along the dorsal margin of the valva, and on the inner wall it is fused with the editum forming an editum-costa complex. The ventral side of the complex belonging to the editum is fold-like or swollen and smooth (unlike in Asbolopsyche , which has a cellular-setose surface of the editum). In certain species, the editum-costa complex bears a distal ampulla, which has a spinulose or scobinate ventral side and apex, indicating they belong mostly to the editum component. (7) The tendon is present but very diverse in its structure and in different species it varies from a very short process almost not protruding into the diaphragm to a long gelatinous string fused with its counterpart. (8) The basal saccular process is robust thorn-like with a thick base at the junction with the main surface of the sacculus (whereas its base is thin and weakly sclerotised in Acanthosia ). The ental side of the dilated base of the process is fused with the intersaccular membrane along the lateral margin of the juxta whereas in Acanthosia the proximal section of the process fused with the intersaccular membrane is considerably longer and thinner. (9) The distal saccular process varies in its length and shape in different species but does not exceed the dorsal part of the valva in its length. (10) The juxta is solid, short but broad, trapezoidal or belt-shaped (whereas it is small and consists of two plates in Acanthosia ), its ventral corners are articulated with the bases of the sacculi. (11) The anellus is broad and densely scobinate whereas it is narrow and membranous in Acanthosia . (12) The phallus structure is similar to Acanthosia with its plate-like ventral carina, and broad and rounded coecum but the phallus of Architesma is larger in proportion to the genital capsule. (13) The vesica configuration of Architesma is similar to Acanthosia but the distal diverticulum is markedly longer while the dorsal one is short. Female ( Figs 159–170 View Figures 156–160 View Figures 161–164 View Figures 165–168 View Figures 169–173 ). (1) The 8 th tergite is moderately sclerotised and band-like while the 8 th sternite is membranous. (2) The sterigma is large, its postvaginal formation consists of the medial section, which is in most species posteriorly swollen, postero-medially concave, finely scobinate and forming a fold covering the membrane of the 8 th sternite, and the lateral swollen and heavily sclerotised plates forming folds covering the membrane connecting the sterigma with the 7 th sternite. The antevaginal plate is swollen and heavily sclerotised, either fold-shaped and encircling the ostium bursae anterio-ventrally, or plate-like, protruding posteriorly and covering the ostium bursae ventrally. (3) The ductus bursae is reduced in most species, but can be represented by a thin sclerotised ring connecting the sterigma and the posterior end of the corpus bursae, or (in A. frondosa sp. n.) fully developed, and heavily sclerotised. (4) The posterior section of the corpus bursae is shorter and considerably narrower than the anterior one, heavily scobinate with a lateral protrusion-like diverticulum. (5) The anterior section of the corpus bursae is membranous, and sparsely and finely scobinate. (6) The appendix bursae is vestigial (in such a case the ductus seminalis originates from the dorsal side of the posterior end of the posterior section of the corpus bursae) or can be present but very short, semiglobular and covering the ostium bursae ventrally (similar to Archithosia and Acanthosia ).

Distribution. The genus is widely distributed in the Congolian and Zambezian Regions from south-eastern Guinea in the west to western Kenya and north-western Zambia in the east and south, respectively, and its species are associated with humid forest habitats.