Anticarsia gemmatalis
(Scroll down for three forms of this species)
Distribution: tropical and subtropical America.
Type locality: Surinam.
Synonyms: Hypernaria detrahens Walker 1858;
Plaxia spilolecua Walker 1858;
Plaxia subducta Walker 1858;
Remigia subsignata Walker 1858;
Thermesia costalis Walker 1858;
Thermesia monstratura Walker 1858;
Hypernaria leucospila Walker 1865;
Thermesia infumata Felder & Rogenhofer 1874;
Thermesia gemina Maassen 1890.
E. Caribbean records: St. Kitt's; Nevis; Guadeloupe; Dominica; Martinique; St. Lucia;
St. Vincent; Grenada; Barbados.
Grenadines records: Bequia, Mustique, Baliceaux, Frigate, Canouan, Mayero, Union,
Petit St. Vincent, Petite Martinique, Palm, (E.U. Exp., No's. 91, 127,139, 140 and 205).
Method of identification: illustrated in black and white by Kimball (1965)
pl. 17, figs. 13, 14 and 15. Adult & Genitalia illustrated in colour on website on French Antilles
Lepidoptera by Zagatti,
Lalanne-Cassou & Le Duchat d'Aubigny.
Notes: this is an extraordinarily variable species. A few forms are illustrated.
The larva is the 'Velvetbean Caterpillar'. Misidentified by the Exeter University Expedition
as 'Gabara mediofasciata', which is unlikely to be present.
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