Condica discistriga (Smith) 1894
Platyperigea discistriga Smith, 1894, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc., 21:61, pl. 6, fig. 10.
Diagnosis: Condica discistriga is, on the whole, the largest and the roughest appearing of the species in this complex. The forewing is strongly flecked with dark brown and the veins are often accented with dark brown as well. The forewing color generally contrasts sharply with the nearly pure white hindwing of the males.
Distribution: This species occurs primarily in the Great Basin region of the Rocky Mountains. It finds its southern limits in northern Arizona and New Mexico. Its eastern limit is the eastern boundary of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado where it would appear to be replaced by videns. It has been taken as far north as north-central Washington and as far west as east-central California and the Mt. Ranier region in Washington. There is one population of this species that is particularly interesting. A series of specimens from the Great Sand Dunes National Monument in Alamosa County, Colorado has a high proportion of individuals that are almost black. All of the specimens from this locality are suffused with black to some degree, but the amount is quite variable.
Adults have been collected in June, July, and August.
Identification Quality: Excellent
Larva: The larva has been described by Crumb (1956).
Foodplants: Crumb (1956) reared the species from Chrysothamnus (Rabbit Bush) (Asteraceae).
Condica videns - Condica videns is the eastern North American member of the species complex. It is the lightest in color of the four species. The forewing color is usually light tan to tan, although sometimes specimens have a reddish-brown tint, and some are even tinged with dark brown. The forewing has a dark streak between the reniform spot and the orbicular spot, but the forewing tends to lack the dark brown streaking and general infusion found in temecula and discistriga. In the male genitalia the most distintive feature is the spines on the basal lobe of the vesica. In the other three species these spines are short and stubby, but in videns the spines are at least three or four times longer than wide. The female genitalia are virtually indistinguishable, although the ductus bursae may be slightly shorter and the corpus bursae slightly longer than in discistriga. The ostium of temecula is thin and rectangular, but is roughly as long as wide in both discistriga and videns. All in all, however, geographical range is the easiest character that can be used to identify videns except near the eastern borders of temecula and discistriga.
Condica temecula - Condica temecula appears to be the Mexican member of this species complex, ranging as far north as southern Arizona and New Mexico, and southwestern Texas. This species is smaller on the whole than discistriga and its superficial appearance is smoother with the rough flecking and streaking found in that species. In constrast the appearance of temecula is on the whole rougher and darker than found in videns. In some cases the male or female genitalia must be used to separate temecula and videns, although so far the ranges of the two species have not been found to overlap. The differences in genitalia are discussed under videns.
Condica mersa - Some specimens could easily be mistaken for Condica mersa. However in both males and females the hindwing is pure white, at most tinged with black scales. In mersa the hindwing is always suffused with dark gray. Secondly the costa of the forewing is always to one degree another lighter than the rest of the forewing in this population. The costa is not lighter than the rest of the forewing in mersa.