Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
884
885
884
Frosted orange moth (
Gortyna flavago
).
885
Larva of scarce bordered straw moth (
Heliothis
armigera
).
Heliothis armigera
(Hübner) (
885
)
Scarce bordered straw moth
A polyphagous, tropical or subtropical pest of many
crops, including ornamentals such as garden geranium
(
Pelargonium zonale
), pink (
Dianthus plumarius
) and
rose (
Rosa
). Larvae also feed on various weeds. Present
throughout Africa, Asia and Oceania; also established
elsewhere, including the warmer parts of Europe (e.g.
Bulgaria, southern France, Greece, Hungary, Italy,
Portugal, Spain and the former Yugoslavia). A rare
migrant to northern Europe; sometimes intercepted as
larvae on imported plants or plant products.
plates blackish brown.
Pupa:
17-20 mm long; elongate,
and yellowish brown; cremaster with a short pair of
divergent spines.
LIFE HISTORY
Adults occur from late August to October, and eggs are
deposited in groups at the base of suitable host plants.
Larvae feed from late March or April to July or August,
each tunnelling within a stem. If necessary, a larva will
move to an adjacent plant in order to complete its
development. Fully fed larvae eventually pupate within
their feeding galleries, typically just above ground level.
There is one generation each year.
DESCRIPTION
Adult:
30-40 mm wingspan; fore wings mainly
ochreous to dark, purplish brown, with darker markings;
hind wings creamy white, each with a broad, blackish
peripheral band.
Larva:
up to 40 mm long; extremely
variable in appearance, ranging from green or ochreous
to purplish brown, with numerous, often whitish,
sinuous lines running down the body; head olive-brown,
and freckled.
DAMAGE
Shoots of infested plants wilt and may die.
Hadena bicruris
(Hufnagel)
syn.
H. capsincola
(Denis & Schiffermüller);
Harmodia bicruris
(Hufnagel)
Lychnis moth
A widely distributed but minor pest. The yellowish-
brown, blackish-marked larvae (up to 35 mm long) feed
mainly on the seeds of sweet william (
Dianthus
barbatus
) and red campion (
Silene dioica
), but
sometimes also damage the buds and seed heads of
cultivated carnation (
D. caryophyllus
). Adults
(30-40 mm wingspan) are greyish brown to blackish,
the fore wings variegated with whitish and yellowish-
white markings. They occur from early June onwards,
and the larvae feed in June and July; in favourable
situations larvae also occur from August to September.
LIFE HISTORY
In southern Europe, there are two or more generations
annually, the larvae requiring both adequate warmth and
moisture to successfully complete their development.
Adults occur from May to late October, and the pest
overwinters in the pupal stage.
DAMAGE
Larvae bore into buds and flowers, and also browse on
foliage. Damage on cultivated plants may be extensive.
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