Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Owlet Moths (Noctuidae) » Heliothinae » Helicoverpa » Corn Earworm - Hodges#11068 (Helicoverpa zea)
Photo#35940
Corn Earworm Moth - Helicoverpa zea
Copyright © 2005 tom murray

Corn Earworm Moth - Helicoverpa zea
Sudbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
August 22, 2004
This is an early instar, so it looks different than the ones normally seen.
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by tom murray on 31 October, 2005 - 8:11pm
Last updated 26 February, 2014 - 3:31pm

Moved
Moved from Butterflies and Moths. Talked to Laci and we think this is just another form of Helicoverpa, which Laci points out is also called the Tomato Fruitworm
… john and jane balaban, 26 February, 2014 - 3:11pm login or register to post comments

 
Helicoverpa zea
John & Jane you've been doing great with these old cats. This one was unidentified for almost 10 years!
… tom murray, 26 February, 2014 - 3:38pm login or register to post comments

 
Hear, hear!
Nice work Balabans! Although I think that the above discussion on this ID makes more sense if we somehow retain the fact that the original title to this image was, I think, Tomato hornworm. Hence this comment. : )
… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 26 February, 2014 - 4:06pm login or register to post comments

 
Hannah is back!
How is your free time shaping up? Should we include you on our caterpillar discussions? Hope all is well
… john and jane balaban, 26 February, 2014 - 4:29pm login or register to post comments

I'm doubtful -
I don't think diagonal stripes would show up as a solid straight line in an earlier instar. I don't see a horn on this one, either. Do you have any other evidence apart from the food plant?
… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 31 October, 2005 - 8:28pm login or register to post comments

 
Molting?
It almost looks like the dorsal skin is a different layer than the ventral, and the white line is just the edge of that skin. Of course, I've never seen a caterpillar molting, so I could easily be way off base.
… Chuck Entz, 1 November, 2005 - 1:44am login or register to post comments

 
No other evidence
I just don't know what other big green caterpillars might eat tomatoes. I was thinking that an early instar might look a lot different than the full grown ones.
… tom murray, 31 October, 2005 - 8:53pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact