Gray Streaked Armywom Moth

Spodoptera albula (Walker)
Figs. 26, 30, 39, 53, 60, 71, 84, 93, 106, 115, 144, 153, 224-226, 304, 318, 348, 380, 412, 444, 480-482, 530
Xylina albula Walker 1857b: 629.
Laphygma orbicularis Walker 1857b: 719 [preoccupied, a secondary junior homonym of Caradrina orbicularis Walker]; Druce 1889: 267; [synonymized by Poole 1989: 925].
Laphygma caudata Walker 1869: 32; [synonymized by Poole 1989: 922].
Spodoptera sunia; Levy & Habeck 1976: 585; Todd & Poole 1980: 733; Franclemont & Todd 1983: 141. (This is the species previously identified as "Spodoptera sunia Guenee". The real Xylomyges sunia Guenee 1852 is actually the species currently known as Neogalea esula Druce.)
Spodoptera albula; Poole 1989: 922; Poole & Gentili 1996: Diagnosis. — Forewing with a short black longitudinal dash at base of Cu vein (Figs. 224-226). Reniform spot round and black (Fig. 225) or can be faint to absent (Figs. 224, 226). Ground color more pale gray with streaking black compared to a more brown ground color with brown streaking in S. eridania. Male genitalia with a pair of projecting arms on upper third of tegumen (Fig. 37). Valve wider than in S. eridania (compare Figs. 347 and 348). Female genitalia with a large median projection on posterior margin of ventral plate of ostium bursa (Fig. 444); fine dense scales on 8th segment gray.
Description. Adult Male. — Head: Basal segment of labial palpus cream with median patch variably mixed with black and rufous scales; median segment cream with black median band vari
ably mixed with rufous scales; apical segment cream mixed with rufous scales. Frons with short scales white (with a few rufous scales); long scales white and brown; lateral spots at eye margin brown; vertex pale rufous. Antenna filiform; scape white and rufous; flagellum white and rufous.
Thorax: Patagium with light brown scales tipped white, a black transverse band at one-third width. Tegula light brown and white. Mesothorax light brown. Underside of thorax white. Prothoracic femur rufous and fuscous; tibia with lateral scale tufts not extending beyond first tarsal segment, cream and fuscous, subapical spot absent; tarsal segments 1-2 cream and rufous, segments 3^1 fuscous, segment 5 fuscous with cream apical ring. Mesothoracic femur cream and rufous; tibia cream and rufous, inner spur more than twice length of outer spur, mediolateral surface devoid of scales on large spur; first tarsal segment cream and rufous, remainder fuscous basally, rufous medially with cream apical rings. Metathoracic femur cream and rufous; tibia cream and rufous; first tarsal segment cream and rufous, remainder fuscous basally, rufous medially with cream apical rings.
Foreiving: Length, 10-14.5 mm; ground color pale gray to cream; basal line absent; short longitudinal black dash at base of Cu vein; R vein not a contrasting color; basal scale patch between R and Cu veins absent; basal half circle scale patch below Cu vein absent; antemedial line absent; claviform spot absent; basal scale patch absent; gray patch covering anal cell and half of cell CuA2 absent; oblique brown mark from fifth outer marginal spot to vein CuA2 absent; curved white line from antemedial line to postmedial line absent; orbicular spot absent; reniform spot absent to round, black; white scales along Cu vein and bases of M3 and CuAl veins absent; postmedial line absent; postmedian band undifferentiated; black scale patches in middle of cells in postmedian area absent; subterminal line absent; apex lacking a white patch; minute black spots along outer margin; fringe pale gray to gray. Underside ground color light brown to pale gray; outer margin with black spots; reniform spot gray.
Hindwing: Ground color white; faint black spots along outer margin; fringe white. Underside ground color white; costal cells C and Sc cream speckled with rufous scales; outer margin with gray triangular spots in middle of cells Sc to CuAl; no spot on underside.
Abdomen: Dorsum pale gray; venter cream and rufous; disto-lateral black spots on sternites (indistinct); 8th tergite with spiculate patches absent on caudal margin.
Genitalia: Uncus evenly curved; slender, gradually narrowing toward pointed apex; setae absent or few. Scaphium elongate, well sclerotized. Tegumen with a pair of projecting arms on upper third. Costa convex (Figs. 318, 348). Costal process narrow, elongate; at base of costa on inner edge; perpendicular to costa of valve. Cucullus broadly rounded. Anellifer with lightly sclerotized plate bearing setae absent. Ampulla short, thumbshaped lobe, apex round. Clasper proper apex round, curved toward sacculus (Figs. 318, 348). Clavus absent. Sacculus broad in basal half, tapering distally; apex pointed. Valvula narrower than valve; well differentiated from valve, apex free; apex produced and curved toward costa; indentation absent. Coremata moderately elongate, approximately 0.5 or less length of valve; composed of a single lobe. Juxta a narrow rectangular band, median process wide as base and constricted near apical third, ventral margin a broad inverted Vshape. Anellus with a patch of enlarged spines at apex of aedoeagus. Vinculum round. Aedoeagus straight; coecum smaller in diameter than shaft; patch of various sized robust spines on apex of membranous sheath surrounding aedoeagus. Vesica curving ventrally; short, less than 0.75 length of aedoeagus; apicobasal cornutal patch a wide ribbon; elongate, extending to beyond middle of vesica; cornuti in form of minute flat granules; lateral cornutal patch a wide elongate ribbon; composed of short, conical spines; dense cornutal patch at apex of vesica; distal cornutus absent.
Adult Female. — Essentially as described for male except:
Foreiving: Length, 12-16 mm.
Abdomen: Fine dense scales on 8th segment gray.
Genitalia: Ventral plate of ostium bursa wider than high; distal margin with a single median projection; ventrolateral invaginated pocket of 8th sternite absent. Ductus bursae short (length less than twice width); completely sclerotized. Appendix bursae membranous. Corpus bursae elongate, length greater than twice width; smooth. Signum in apical half of corpus bursae; moderately elongate, length between 0.66-1.1 mm; forming less than a 30 degree angle to vertical axis of corpus bursae.
Larva. — See description, p. 106.
Type material. — Xylina albula Walker. The 3 lectotype [BMNH, here designated] is labeled: St. Domingo, Tweedie, 55-1; Xylina albula; Noctuidae genitalia slide No. 4013 3 . The lectotype is designated to ensure nomenclatural stability in this confusing group of species. Type locality: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The following syn types become paralecto types: (1) 3, Label data: St. Domingo, Tweedie, 55-1. (2) 3, Label data: Honduras, Dyson, 45-123. (3) 9, Label data: [No locality label] 48-58.
Laphygma orbicularis Walker. The ? lectotype [BMNH, here designated] is labeled: St. Domingo, Tweedie, 55-1; Laphygma orbicularis; Noctuidae genitalia slide No. 4014 9. The lectotype is designated to ensure nomenclatural stability in this confusing group of species. Type locality: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The following syntype becomes a paralectotype: 9, Label data: St. Domingo, Tweedie, 55-1.
Laphygma caudata Walker. The holotype 3 [BMNH] is labeled: [No locality label] Norris Coll., 73-41; caudata; Noctuidae genitalia slide No. 4012 <5 .Type locality: unknown.
Material Examined. — Specimens were examined from the following countries: Antigua, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, United States, Venezuela.
Distribution (Fig. 530). — This species is distributed from Florida and southern Texas, throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and from Venezuela south to Paraguay and southern Brazil.

Spodoptera albula (Walker)
Figs. 144, 153, 480-482
Diagnosis. — The only reliable character to identify the larva of S. albula is the presence of a white spot near the apex of the dorsal triangular markings of the mesoand metathorax and abdomen (Fig. 153).
Description of preserved specimens. — Head: Color yellowish brown; reticulate; frons yellowish brown; cutting edge of mandible serrate; P2 setae farther apart than PI setae; ratio ecdysial line: frons height, averages between 0.63-0.84. Thorax: Pronotum with dorsolateral stripe absent or inconspicuous, consisting of only a few faded spots at margins; middorsal stripe narrower than dorsolateral stripe. Mesothorax segmental spot triangular; with lateral dark spot absent. Metathorax with segmental spot triangular; white spot at apex of segmental spot; lateral dark spot present (can be absent). Abdomen: Body smooth; setal pinacula minute. Middorsal stripe large, subequal to dorsolateral stripe. Segmental spots uniform in size on abdominal segments 1-8; wide on segments 1-6, almost extending to middorsal stripe; with a distinct white spot near apex of each segmental spot; on 8th abdominal segment larger than on mesothorax. Segment 1 with lateral dark spot present. Segments 2-6 with lateral dark spots in spiracular band present. Spiracular band retic-
ulate; spiracular band on segments 1-6 with white or light colored spot caudal to spiracle present. Spiracles with black border and pale center; not stalked. Subspiracular stripe inconspicuous, concolorous below spiracular band. Crochets uniordinal; total number greater than 107.
Color description. — Head brownish; front brown containing dorsal and ventral pair of mediolateral black spots just inside brown to black epicranial arms; clypeus uniformly brown; adfrontal area yellowish brown; reticulation yellowish; submedian arcs black, small, variously shaped; area laterad to arcs yellowish brown; setae, papillae, punctures brown; pinacula yellow. Ground color of body gray to yellowish brown to blackish. Middorsal stripe yellowish brown, often centrally streaked with brown or black. Dorsolateral band variable, gray, brown, or black, often flecked and streaked whitish gray. Segmental spots triangular, black, occasionally with minute white flecks, each triangular spot possessing a distinct white apical spot or notch. Anal and cervical shields grayish brown and freckled white or yellow. Lateral band usually indistinct, entire area densely streaked and flecked white on a gray ground, a narrow, slightly paler dorsal area occasionally visible. Subspiracular stripe pale, densely flecked whitish gray on brown ground with distinct, narrow, yellow line separating it from spiracular band. Thoracic legs grayish brown. Prolegs tan, shields black (Levy & Habeck 1976).
Plant hosts. — Only thirteen hosts are recorded, but several agricultural crops are included: cabbage, peanuts, soybean, cotton, corn, tomato, and tobacco.

Spodoptera albula (unbarred spodoptera moth or gray-streaked armyworm moth) is a moth of the family Noctuidae found from the southern United States, south to South America.

The wingspan is 33–35 mm. The forewings are brownish-grey with dark streaks along the veins. There is a thin black basal dash and a reniform spot in the form of a small dark dot. The hindwings are white with pale grey shading and a dotted black terminal line. Adults are on wing in the final half of the year, peaking in November.

The larvae feed on Amaranthus species.