Larvae - a green looper which may have pale green longitudinal stripes and black dots. The head is small and the body widens at the rear (NCSU).
Range
Common in the southeast and south central United States. Ranges as far north as Nova Scotia, southern Quebec and southern Ontario, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Known in the west from southern Colorado, southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico (Pogue, 2005).(1) This tropical moth often migrates far north in the spring and summer establishing breeding populations that are killed off with the freeze (Powell & Opler, 2009).(3)
Larvae feed on a variety of plants (herbs), including soybeans, goldenrod, lettuce, sweet potato, and peanut. Other hosts include cotton, tomato, brassicas (cabbage, kale, broccoli), pea, tobacco, and cocklebur (NCSU).
Life Cycle
Egg, larva, larva, pupa, adult
Remarks
Larvae can be a serious pest of crops, especially soybeans.
See Also
Lafontaine and Poole have found the following four differences between two species that are often confused - Chrysodeixis includens and Autographa precationis:
1. A. precationis has a distinct rusty-red coloration and lacks brassy reflections in the forewing, whereas C. includens has a buffy-brown forewing and has strong brassy reflections.
2. The reniform spot of A. precationis is surrounded by a thin white line that is absent in C. includens.
3. C. includens has a strong brass-colored patch between the reniform spot and the postmedial line that is missing in A. precationis.
4. C. includens has a distinct dark spot in the fringe of the outer margin that is absent in A. precationis.
See images of both species together for comparison (Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility).
Print References
Covell Jr., C. V. 1984. A field guide to the moths of eastern North America. pp. 155-156, pl.31 #15 (2)
Eichlin, T. D. & H. B. Cunningham 1978. The Plusiinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of America north of Mexico, emphasizing genitalic and larval morphology. USDA Tech. Bulletin 1567: 1-122 (PDF)(4)
Lafontaine J. D. & B. C. Schmidt 2010. Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America North of Mexico.(5)
Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. pl.49.26f; p.277(3)
