Noctuidae - Condicinae

 

Male

Female

 

 

Condica albigera (Guenée)

Perigea albigera Guenée, 1852, Histoire Naturelle des Insectes. Species General des Lépidoptéres, 5:228.

Apamea intermittens Walker, 1858, List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum, 15:1686.

Diagnosis: The male of this species is very distinctive because of the shape of the palpi. Unfortunately the palpi of the female are more normal and females are not as easy to identify as males. The second segment of the male palpi is very long, curved, and reaches the occiput of the head. The apical half of the second segment also has a long fringe of hair that appears to mold the palpus to the front of the head. In turn the outer margins of the front also have long fringes of hair that complete the marriage of the palpi and front. The female palpi are also longer than the average for the genus, but lack the fringes of hairs as does the front of the head. The forewings of both the male and female is a dark black-brown. The postmedial line is a distinctly dull white and nearly straight. There is a black line along the inner margin of the basal area and the reniform spot is spotted with white. The claviform spot may be absent or present, but when present is an obscure black blotch. There is a series of obscure black triangles pointing inward from the subterminal line. The hindwing of the male is white except for a dark brown suffused band along the outer margin. The hindwing of the female is entirely suffused with dark gray-brown. The valve of the male genitalia is unmodified and the clasper is straight and unmodified. The juxta is triangular with the apex pointing caudally and with small knob at the cephalad margin. The vesica is elongate and contains a full coil. The vesica is broad at the base, but tapers rapidly in a long, thin tail. The vesica does not have any ornamentation. The female genitalia are very simple. The ostium is almost entirely membranous except for a small,lunate sclerite. The ductus bursae is about three times than wide and without sclerotization. The corpus bursae is about three times longer than wide and lacks signa. There is not appendix bursae or even a bump representing the inception of the ductus seminalis.

Distribution: Condica albigera has a wide distribution in the tropical and subtropical regions of the New World, although it is not as common as some of the most abundant tropical species such as mobilis and sutor. In the United States albigera has been collected in southeastern Texas and southern Florida. The species occurs in eastern Mexcio and throughout Central America. It also occurs throughout the Antilles. Condica albigera probably occurs throughout the tropical regions of South America, although localities are not well represented in collections. It occurs at least as far south as Paraguay.

In Texas and Florida the species has been collected primarily in the spring and the fall months.

Identification Quality: Excellent

Larva: Unknown

Foodplants: Unknown

Condica albigera

Fresh specimens of Condica albigera can almost always be separated from the other species occuring in the same regions. The modified palpi will always identify the males. Worn female specimens, however, can be confused with other species, in particular vecors, punctifera, Condica new species 2, and Condica new species 1. In these cases the female genitalia must be checked to insure correct placement.

Similar Species

Condica vecors

Condica punctifera

Condica new species 1

Condica new species 2