Numbers
one of four species in this genus in North America; common to abundant
Size
wingspan 24-32 mm; female larger than male
larva length to 26 mm
Identification
Adult: sexually dimorphic - male forewing mostly grayish-brown with dark yellow around discal spot and beyond PM line; hindwing grayish with large pale yellowish patch in subterminal area; female forewing light yellow with grayish-brown lines; note toothed PM line with large sinus near inner margin in both sexes
[adapted from description by Charles Covell]
Genitalia:
Larva: body pale brown or pinkish-gray with dark gray middorsal line on abdominal segments; last abdominal segment sometimes darker; head black to reddish-brown
Range
North America east of the Rockies
also occurs in Europe and northern Africa
Habitat
corn fields, gardens, commercial crop plantations; adults are nocturnal and attracted to light
Season
adults fly from April to October
Food
larvae bore in stalks of corn; have been reported on 200 species of plants, including aster, barley, bean, dahlia, millet, oats, potato, sorghum, and other herbaceous species
Life Cycle
one generation per year in the north; three or four generations in the south
500-600 eggs are laid on underside of host plant at night in irregular clusters of 15-20 eggs; eggs overlay each other like fish scales, and hatch in 3-12 days, depending on temperature; larvae develop through five or six instars as they tunnel in stalks of corn and cut leaves off at their base; overwinters as a larva; pupation occurs in early spring, and adults emerge in mid-to-late spring
Remarks
a serious pest of corn in several areas of United States and Canada
accidentally introduced to North America in the early 1900s in broom corn imported from Hungary and Italy for the manufacture of brooms; first noticed near Boston in 1917
See Also
female is very similar to
Orange-toned Mecyna (
Mecyna submedialis) - see
pinned and
live adult images of that species
female also resembles
Crocidophora serratissimalis - see
MPGInternet References
live and pinned adult images by various photographers, plus common name reference (Moth Photographers Group)
live adult image of male (Josef Hlasek, Czech Republic)
live adult images of female and male plus common name reference and links to other info (John VanDyk, Iowa State U.)
live larva image (James Solomon, USDA Forest Service, forestimages.org)
live larva image plus
distribution, introduction history, and spread in North America (John VanDyk, Iowa State U.)
overview and photos of all life stages plus natural enemies, damage to crops, control methods, references ("Featured Creatures", U. of Florida)
overview with diagrams (North Carolina State U.)