Army cutworm | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
Family: | Noctuidae |
Genus: | Euxoa |
Species: | E. auxiliaris |
Binomial name | |
Euxoa auxiliaris (Grote, 1873) | |
The army cutworm is the immature form of Euxoa auxiliaris. [1] [2] Together with other moths that are locally abundant and that have scales that dislodge from the wings, [3] the adult moth is called a miller moth. [1] [3]
These native North American larvae consume emerging small grains, alfalfa, and canola in the southern Great Plains [4] and southern Canada. [5] Larvae[ clarification needed ] feed above ground at night and usually hide in soil during daylight, but will also feed on cloudy days. [6] [ clarification needed ]
On dry, low elevation rangelands of the U.S. Intermountain West, army cutworms consume exotic cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and mustards to produce cheatgrass "die-offs." Within these bare areas, the larvae also defoliate native shrubs including four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) and sagebrush (Artemisia spp.). [7]
The miller moth is a seasonal nuisance in the spring in states including Montana, [3] Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Kansas, as they hatch in the low-lying farmlands, then migrate to higher elevations for the summer. They return as the weather cools but in smaller numbers. They are considered nearly impossible to control through normal pest extermination techniques because a new batch shows up every day as they migrate. With their very small bodies, they enter homes (attracted by the light) in the evening through any available crack or crevice (doorjamb, chimney, etc.) and residents in migration paths report dozens of moths per day entering their homes and garages. However, other than being a nuisance, they are not considered harmful. [8] [9] [10]
Euxoa auxiliaris is commonly found in the Western section and prairies of the United States. They are known to travel to alpine climate regions in late June and early July where they feed at night on the nectar of wildflowers. Army cutworms are one of the richest foods for predators, such as brown bears, in this ecosystem, where up to 72% of the moth's body weight is fat, thus making it more calorie-rich than elk or deer. [11] This is the highest known body fat percentage of any animal. [12]
Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,800 known species. The family was described by James Francis Stephens in 1829. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, especially in the New World.
Cutworms are moth larvae that hide under litter or soil during the day, coming out in the dark to feed on plants. A larva typically attacks the first part of the plant it encounters, namely the stem, often of a seedling, and consequently cuts it down; hence the name cutworm. Cutworms are not worms, biologically speaking, but caterpillars.
An all-points bulletin (APB) is an electronic information broadcast sent from one sender to a group of recipients, to rapidly communicate an important message. The technology used to send this broadcast has varied throughout time, and includes teletype, radio, computerized bulletin board systems (CBBS), and the Internet.
Agrotis ipsilon, the dark sword-grass, ipsilon dart, black cutworm, greasy cutworm or floodplain cutworm, is a small noctuid moth found worldwide. The moth gets its scientific name from black markings on its forewings shaped like the letter "Y" or the Greek letter upsilon. The larvae are known as "cutworms" because they cut plants and other crops. The larvae are serious agricultural pests and feed on nearly all varieties of vegetables and many important grains.
Home-stored product entomology is the study of insects that infest foodstuffs stored in the home. It deals with the prevention, detection and eradication of pests.
Peridroma saucia, the pearly underwing or variegated cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1808. It is found in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The variegated cutworm feeds on many plants, especially common fruits and vegetables. The moth undergoes two to four generations per year. The development of the moth slows in colder temperatures, indicative of its migratory nature. All stages of the life cycle have a developmental threshold for temperature. The moth is known to migrate to the northern regions during warmer months, returning to the southern regions when the climate becomes colder.
Euxoa is a genus of moths of the family Noctuidae raised to Genus by the German entomologist, Jacob Hübner. The Genus is mostly confined to dry and semi dry areas in the Northern Hemisphere. There 130 species in Eurasia, a few in Africa, and 175 in North America. There are no species in the Genus in South-East Asia or in Australia. In North America, most species are found in Western regions. Of the North American species, 4 are endemic to Mexico. There is one species recorded from Chile, but this may be a mislabeled specimen. In real terms, species numbers do not equal species abundance. Some areas with few species have large numbers of the ones that do live there.
Syngrapha rectangula, the salt and pepper looper or angulated cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by William Kirby in 1837. It is found in North America from Newfoundland, Quebec, northern Ontario to Manitoba, New Jersey, northern Pennsylvania, southern Michigan, northern Wisconsin, North Carolina, Virginia, British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, northern Idaho and the Cascades.
Euxoa messoria, the darksided cutworm or reaper dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841. It is found from Newfoundland west to Yukon, south to Virginia and Missouri in the east and New Mexico, Arizona and California in the west.
Actebia fennica, the black army cutworm or Eversmann's rustic, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by August Michael Tauscher in 1806. It has a Holarctic distribution from Newfoundland through western Europe, Siberia, the Far East, Mongolia, northern China to Korea and Japan. In North America it is mainly found in the boreal region, south to New England, southern Montana and northern Oregon.
Amphipoea interoceanica, commonly known as the interoceanic ear moth, strawberry cutworm moth or strawberry cutworm, is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae first described by Smith in 1899. It is found from coast to coast in the United States. In Canada from Quebec west to Alberta, Nova Scotia.
Euxoa detersa, the rubbed dart, sandhill cutworm or sand cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1856. It is found in North America from Newfoundland to North Carolina, west to Nebraska, north to Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Euxoa aurulenta, the dune cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Smith in 1888. It is found in North America from Ontario west to Alberta and Washington, south to Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado and Arizona.
The Angoumois grain moth is a species of the Gelechiidae moth family, commonly referred to as the "rice grain moth". It is most abundant in the temperate or tropical climates of India, China, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Egypt and Nigeria, with its location of origin being currently unknown. It is most commonly associated as a pest of field and stored cereal grains as they burrow within the kernel grains of crop plants, rendering them unusable for human consumption. By laying eggs between the grains themselves and hatching at a later time, often during the processing, transportation or storage stages, the moth can be transported to households or countries presently free of Angoumois grain moth infestations. Thus, constant protection against the Angoumois grain moth is required for grain up till the time of consumption.
Alsophila pometaria, the fall cankerworm, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in North America from Nova Scotia west to Alberta, south to Colorado and California and zones of Spain
The spongy moth, formerly known as the gypsy moth, was introduced in 1868 into the United States by Étienne Léopold Trouvelot, a French scientist living in Medford, Massachusetts. Because native silk-spinning caterpillars were susceptible to disease, Trouvelot imported the species in order to breed a more resistant hybrid species. Some of the moths escaped, found suitable habitat, and began breeding. The gypsy moth is now a major pest of hardwood trees in the Eastern United States.
Paleacrita vernata, the spring cankerworm, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by William Dandridge Peck in 1795. It is found in North America from the Atlantic Ocean west to Alberta, Texas and California.
Lymantria dispar dispar, commonly known as the gypsy moth, European gypsy moth, LDD moth, or North American gypsy moth or spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. It has a native range that extends over Europe and parts of Africa, and is an invasive species in North America.
Euxoa ceropachoides, commonly known as Fereday's cutworm, is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is classified as Not Threatened by the Department of Conservation.