Beet webworm, Spoladea recurvalis Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) new to the Adrar region (south-west of Algeria) with comments on host plants and morphometry

Spoladea recurvalis Fabricius (or beet webworm moth) has been recorded in Algeria since 1991. However, no particular study has been conducted about this insect in the Adrar region. This study aims to report the presence of Spoladea recurvalis (Fabricius) in the Adrar region. We performed a morphometric study on 33 specimens belonging to the two sexes. We observed moths’ emergence between August and November, especially on maize irrigated by centre pivot and vegetable crops irrigated by sprinkler irrigation systems. The morphometric study showed that this insect’s body length varies between 9 and 11 mm, and the wingspan varies between 19 and 22 mm. There were no significant differences between the morphometry of specimens within the same sex. Similarly, there was no significant difference between sexes, except for the overall head and body size (p = 0.0037).