Insects - Pests of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Flowers - page 345

929

DAMAGE
Young larvae 'window' the leaves; older individuals
bite right through the leaf tissue, causing considerable
defoliation; they also attack the flowers and stems.

Spodoptera exigua (Hübner)
syn. Laphygma exigua (Hübner)
Small mottled willow moth
This polyphagous, mainly tropical and subtropical
species is an introduced pest in the Netherlands,
attacking various greenhouse-grown ornamentals. It
also occurs elsewhere in northern Europe (including the
British Isles) as a rare immigrant or as an accidentally
introduced species on plants such as Chrysanthemum .
Breeding is continuous under suitable conditions but the
pre-adult stages are susceptible to cold and damp, and
this reduces the likelihood of their survival outdoors in
northern Europe. The moths (28-32 mm wingspan) are
yellowish grey, mottled with yellowish brown, the
stigmata characteristically ochreous or pinkish, and the
hind wings pearly white with a darker border. The
larvae (30-35 mm long when fully grown) vary from
green or olive-green to purplish black, with a paler or
darker dorsal region and the spiracles set in pinkish,
yellowish or orange patches. In some parts of the world
this pest is an often destructive and notorious pest; the
larva is commonly known in America as the 'beet army-
worm'.

929 Early grey moth ( Xylocampa areola ).

930

Xylocampa areola (Esper) ( 929-930 )
syn. Dichonia areola (Esper)
Early grey moth
Adults of this widely distributed, mainly grey, blackish-
marked moth (30-40 mm wingspan) occur from March
to early May, and are often found at rest on garden
fences, posts and walls. They are active at night, when
they are frequent visitors to sallow catkins. Eggs are
deposited singly on the stems of honeysuckle
( Lonicera ), and minor infestations sometimes occur on
ornamental bushes. The larvae feed in May and June,
older individuals remaining flattened against the stem of
the foodplant during the daytime and moving onto the
leaves to feed at night. Individuals (up to 45 mm long)
are elongate, pale yellowish brown, with a brown dorsal
stripe and a fine spiracular line; the head is greyish
brown marked with grey. Fully fed larvae pupate in the
soil, each within a tough white cocoon. There is just one
generation annually.

930 Larva of early grey moth ( Xylocampa areola ).