Other Common Names
Cabbage Budworm (H. phidilealis)
Cabbage Webworm (H. rogatalis)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Hellula Guenée, 1854; in Boisduval & Guenée, Hist. nat. Ins., Spec. gén. Lépid. 8:
415 Numbers
5 species in North America listed at
All-LepsSize
wingspan 15-20 mm, based on Jim Vargo specimens at MPG
larvae to 20 mm
Identification
Adult: forewing brownish-yellow mottled with darker brown and white patches; AM and PM lines wavy; hindwing light gray
Larva: H. rogatalis first instar yellowish-gray with wide dark head; larger larvae yellowish-gray with five dark longitudinal stripes; black head has V-shaped mark
Range
southern United States (Florida to California), north in the east to North Carolina
also occurs south to South America
Habitat
gardens, commercial crop fields; the moths make short erratic flights when flushed from plants during the day; adults are nocturnal and attracted to light
Food
young larvae bore into buds, stems, and stalks of crucifers (plants in the mustard family) and related weeds, including cabbage, turnip, beet, collard, cauliflower, kale, rutabaga, radish, kohlrabi, mustard, rape, horseradish, shepherds purse, purslane
older larvae spin silken webs on leaves and feed on outer leaves during the day within these webs
Life Cycle
up to 350 eggs are laid on host plant buds, hatching in three days; larvae feed in summer and fall, and overwinter in soil as pupae or larvae in silk-lined cells
See Also
In the Southwest, from west Texas to California, a few other related genera have species with a rough resemblance to Hellula. This includes certain species of Nannobotys, Noctueliopsis, Psammobotys, and Pseudoschinia.
Internet References
pinned adult images of 3 species by Jim Vargo (Moth Photographers Group)
pinned adult image of
H. phidilealis plus distribution and foodplant (Matthew Barnes, Moths of Jamaica)
biology and overview of
H. rogatalis (Phillip Roberts and Paul Guillebeau, U. of Georgia)
pest status on cabbage and common name references (U. of Florida)
presence in Florida; list (Florida State Collection of Arthropods)
presence in California; list (U. of California at Berkeley)
