Species Lacanobia subjuncta - Speckled Cutworm - Hodges#10299

10299

Speckled Cutworm (larva)

Lacanobia Fruitworm (larva)

originally Hadena subjuncta (Academy of Natural Sciences)

wingspan 34-50 mm

Adult: forewing purplish-gray with reddish-brown shading; AM and PM lines double, scalloped; black bar runs from outer end of claviform spot to PM line; basal dash black, curving toward orbicular spot at outer end; ST line with W shape near middle, containing two black streaks that extend toward PM line; subterminal area may be lighter than remainder of wing, but not conspicuously so

hindwing light yellowish-gray with prominent dark veins

Larva: early instars light green with white lateral stripe; later instars light brown with darker markings on dorsal surface

coast to coast in southern Canada and northern United States, south in the west to California and Arizona

gardens, fields; may be a pest in orchards

adults fly from May to September

larvae present in June and again in August and September

larvae feed on various plants, including apple, asparagus, blueberry, cabbage, cherry, corn, maple, pear, poplar, willow

two generations per year; overwinters as a pupa in soil; adults emerge in May and June

Larva; adult

Larvae in orchards will remain in trees during the day, unlike other cutworms which return to the ground and only feed in trees at night. They eat entire leaves and may also excavate holes in fruit.

Apamea unita is very similar but much less common. L. subjuncta has orbicular/reniform spots more sharply outlined; the pale patch below the orbicular spot is less contrasting; outer margin of the forewing slightly falcate. (1) According to PNW Moths, L. subjuncta is browner than A. unita and has a larger orbicular spot. (2)

Grand Arches (Lacanobia grandis) is similar but has a conspicuous pale band in subterminal area

Lacanobia atlantica lacks the black bar in forewing median area connecting AM and PM lines, and has a very prominent pale ST line.

Moth Photographers Group (MPG) (3)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (4)

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)(5)

Pacific Northwest Moths (PNM) (2)

pinned adult image (Bruce Walsh, Moths of Southeastern Arizona)

description of larva plus biology and control (Washington State U.)

common name reference [Speckled Cutworm], food plants, flight season (Ohio State U.)