Superfamily Pyraloidea (Pyralid and Crambid Snout Moths)
Family Crambidae (Crambid Snout Moths)
Subfamily Crambinae (Crambine Snout Moths)
Tribe Crambini (Grass-Veneers)
Genus Agriphila
Species vulgivagellus (Vagabond Crambus - Hodges#5403)
Hodges Number
5403
Other Common Names
Vagabond Sod Webworm
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Agriphila vulgivagellus (Clemens, 1860)
* Phylogenetic sequence #161000.
Numbers
11 species occur in America north of Mexico. (MPG checklist)
Size
Wingspan 20-39 mm.
Identification
Adult: head with long hairy "snout"; forewing dull yellowish with brown speckling between veins, giving streaked appearance to wing; no AM, PM, or ST lines; terminal line composed of seven black dots; fringe gold or bronze but may look black at certain angles and/or in certain light.
Range
Quebec and New England to Florida, west to Texas, north to Alberta.
Habitat
Grasslands, fields, gardens; adults are attracted to light.
Season
Univoltine. On Block Island, RI, adults are extremely common in grassy areas but with a very short flight almost entirely from mid-September to early October.(1)
Food
Larvae feed on grass, wheat, rye, and other grains. [Fernald 1896]
Life Cycle
One generation per year; overwinters as an immature larva.
Larvae are a serious agricultural pest in some areas.
See Also
Lesser Vagabond Sod Webworm (Agriphila ruricolella) has a median line represented by a diagonal smear or diffuse smudge (sometimes faint) across the veins, and a subterminal (ST) line that may be indistinct and incomplete but usually visible
Cranberry Girdler (Chrysoteuchia topiaria) has an angled, silvery-gray subterminal line, and a terminal line composed of a thin black line near the apex, and three black dots near the anal angle
in the great plains/prairies and westward, Agriphila plumbifimbriella is very similar but has a thin dark ST line that angles sharply near the costa and extends toward the base a considerable distance before touching the costa
