CATERPILLARS

Caterpillars are the larvae of insects in the order Lepidoptera; the larvae are worm-like. Usually only the larval forms cause damage to plants. Caterpillars have cylindrical soft bodies which can be hairy, naked, or covered with spines; they have 13 segments on the portion of the body behind the head. The first three segments have a pair of jointed legs, each of which terminates into a single claw. The abdominal segments each have a pair of prolegs (false legs); prolegs are usually found on the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and tenth segments of the abdomen. The prolegs are provided with small hooks, called crotchets, which allow the insect to hold on to a plant part.

Caterpillar Damage on Cabbage

Alfalfa Caterpillar (Colias eurytheme): Adults are sulfur-yellow butterflies that have black margins on the upper surface of the wings and the expanse of the wings is about 2 inches. Caterpillars are dark green with a fine pale yellow or white stripe on each side of the body through which a red line runs and about 1 1/2 inches long.

Beet Armyworm (Spodoptera exigua): Adult moths have grayish-brown forewings with a pale spot in the mid-front margin and the hind wings are white with a dark anterior margin; the adult moth's wingspread is about 1 1/4 inches. The caterpillars are green on the upper surface, yellow underneath, have a dark stripe on the back, yellow stripes on each side, and are about 1 1/4 inches long.

Beet armyworm (photo provided by www.acesag.auburn.edu)

Black Cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon): Adult moths are reddish to brownish-gray and at the bases and tips of the forewings there are silvery patches. Larvae are greasy gray to brown or black, have a broken yellow stripe on the back, and a pale line on each side; the skin has convex, rounded, isolated granules that are large and small.

Adult moth

Larva and damage

Bronzed Cutworm (Nephelodes minians): Larvae are dark bronzy brown, striped from head to tail with five clear lines about as wide as the brown area between them, and have granulate skin.

Cabbage Looper (Trichoplusia ni): Adult moths are grayish-brown, around 1 inch long, and have a wing expanse of 1 1/2 inches; the front wings are mottled brownish with a small silvery spot near the middle and the hind wings are paler brown to bronzy. The greenish larvae have a thin white line along each side of the body and two others going down the back; the body of the larvae tapers to the head.

Adult moth

Larva

California Orange Dog (Papilio zelicaon): Adults are called western parsley swallowtail butterflies; the butterflies are yellow or orange and black. Caterpillars are yellow-green with black bands, orange spots, and an orange scent horn.
 

Celery Looper (Anagrapha falcifera): Adult moths are large and have purplish-brown forewings. Larvae are pale green, taper to the head, have light and dark stripes, and are around 1 inch long.

Celeryworm or Parsleyworm (Papilio polyxenes asterius): The adult is known as the black swallowtail butterfly; they have black wings with 2 rows of yellow spots, hind wings have a row of blue patches with a black spot bordered with orange on the inner margin, and a wingspread of about 4 inches. Caterpillars are 2 inches long, have a black crossband on each segment which is indented by six yellow spots on its front margin, and have an opening for two soft forked orange horns just behind the head.

Claybacked Cutworm (Agrotis gladiaria): Larvae are greenish to dark brown and have a broad pale stripe down the back.

Corn Earworm (Heliothis zea): Adult moths vary in color, but usually the front wings are a light grayish-brown with dark gray irregular lines and with a dark area near the tip of the wing; the hind wings are white with dark spots or markings; the wing expanse is about 1 1/2 inches. Larvae are yellowish, green, pink, brown, or black with lengthwise light and dark stripes; the heads of larvae are yellowed and unspotted; larvae have dark or nearly black legs, coarse skin, and can be up to 2 inches in length.

Larva Adult Moth

Corn Earworm Damage

Crossstriped Cabbageworm (Evergestis rimosalis): The adult moth is small and yellowish-brown. The larvae are green and have numerous black transverse bands across the body.

Dingy Cutworm (Feltia subgothica): Larvae are dull dingy brown with a broad buff gray dorsal stripe, subdivided into triangular areas on each segment and margined on each side by a narrow dark stripe; the skin granules are slightly convex, round, and coarse.
 

Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda): The adult moths have dark gray front wings mottled with lighter and darker splotches and have a whitish spot near the tip; the hind wings are grayish white. The wingspread of the moth is around 1 1/2 inches. The larvae vary in color from light tan or green to nearly black; three yellowish-white hair lines run lengthwise down the back and on the sides next to the yellow lines is a wider dark stripe and next to it a yellow stripe that is splotched with red.

Female Fall Armyworm

Male Fall Armyworm

Glassy Cutworm (Crymodes devastator): The larvae are greenish-white, have red heads, and a glassy appearance; the skin is not granulated.

Granulate Cutworm (Feltia subterranea): Larvae are gray to brown with rough granulated skin and around 1 1/2 inches long; the underside is lighter in color than the top side. Larvae curl into a ball when they are disturbed.

Green Cloverworm (Plathypena scabra): Adult moths are dark brown and the front wings have a mottled appearance; moths have a wingspread of 1 1/4 inches. Larvae are light green with two narrow white stripes down the sides of the body and around 1 inch long.
 

Gulf-white Cabbageworm (Ascia monuste): The adult moths are similar in appearance to the adults of the imported cabbageworm. Larvae are yellowish with purplish stripes and about 1 1/2 inches long.

Imported Cabbageworm (Pieris rapae): Adult moths are white, have 3 or 4 black spots on the wings, and the wingspread is around 2 inches. Larvae are small, velvety green with a slender orange stripe down the middle of the back, and around 1 1/4 inches long.

 

Melonworm (Diaphania hyalinata): The adult moths have wings that are pearly white with a narrow dark brown band all around the front and outer margins; the part of the body in front of the wings is dark brown, while the part behind this dark coloration is silvery white with a large, dark, bushy tuft of hair-like scales at the tip of the body; adult moths have a wingspread of 1 3/4 inches. Caterpillars are greenish, slender, and have 2 white stripes the full length of the body on the upper side.

Orange Tortix Caterpillar (Argyrotaenia citrana): Adult moths are a pale yellowish-brown to gray with darker mottling. Caterpillars are dirty white and have brown heads.

Pale Western Caterpillar (Agrostis orthogonia): Adult moths are gray and mottled. The larvae are greenish-gray, unmarked by spots or strips, and the skin fine, flat granules.

Pickleworm (Diaphania nitidalis): Adult moths have a wing spread of 1 inch; the front and hind wings are margined with a bond of yellowish-brown which is about 1/8 inch wide; a transparent yellowish-white spot can be seen in the middle of the front wings and the basal two-thirds of the hind wings is also transparent yellowish-white. The tip of the abdomen has a dark tuft of hair-like scales.  Larvae are whitish to greenish, up to 3/4 inch long, brownish at the head end, and have a transverse row of black spots on each segment in younger stages, while larvae later turn uniform green or copper when full grown.

Pickleworm damage (photo provided by www.acesag.auburn.edu)

Range Caterpillar (Hemileura oliviae): Larvae are gray, yellow, or black with white spiracles encircled with a black line and densely covered with coarse, poisonous spines.

Saltmarsh Caterpillar (Estigmene acrea): Adult moths have white wings with black spots and an orange, black spotted abdomen.  Larvae are gray when young, later turning black with yellow broken lines, very hairy or woolly hairs are cinnamon-red, and up to 2 inches long.

Southern Armyworm (Spodoptera eridania): Larvae are dark gray to black and marked with yellow stripes.
 

Southern Cabbageworm (Pieris protodice): Adult moths are similar in appearance to the Imported Cabbageworm adult moths except that it has more black markings on the wings.  Larvae are small, velvety green with a slender orange stripe down the middle of the back, have longitudinal yellow bands, and around 1 1/4 inches long.

Soybean Looper or False Cabbage Looper (Pseudoplusia includens): Adult moths are brownish, forewings are mottled brown with a golden sheen, there is a silver marking near the center of each wing, the hind wings are dusky brown, and the wingspread is around 1 1/2 inches.  Larvae are green with light longitudinal stripes running the length of the body, tapered from the rear end toward the head, about 1 1/4 inches long, and have black front legs.

Spotted Cutworm (Amathes c-nigrum): Larvae have wedge-shaped black dashes on each segment, a dark line through the spiracles, and smooth skin.

Tobacco Budworm (Heliothis virescens): The front wings of adult moths are light green, and crossed by four oblique light bands, the inner three of which are edged with black; the wingspread is approximately 1 1/2 inches.  Larvae are small, rust colored or pale green, and marked with several longitudinal pale stripes.
 

Tobacco Hornworm (Manduca sexta): The adult sphinx moth is gray or brown with white and dark mottling, has six yellow spots on each side of the abdomen, and has a wingspread of 4 or 5 inches.  Caterpillars are green with seven oblique white stripes, have a red horn projecting at the rear, and are 3 to 4 inches long.

Tomato Hornworm (Monduca quinquemaculata): The adult sphinx moth is gray or brown with white and dark mottling, has five yellow spots on each side of the abdomen, two narrow stripes extending diagonally across each wing, and a wing spread of 4 or 5 inches.  Caterpillars are green with eight diagonal white stripes which join to form a series of V's, have a green horn with black sides projecting at the rear, and are 3 to 4 inches long.

Caterpillar

Adult sphinx moth

Damage from hornworm

Tomato Pinworm (Keiferialyco persicella): Larvae are yellow, gray or green with purple spots, around 1/4 inch long and bore pinholes in developing buds and fruits with the entrance usually being at the stem end.

Variegated Cutworm (Peridroma saucia): Adult moths are grayish brown with dark, mottled fore wings and a brassy luster.  Larvae are ashy or light dirty brown, lightly mottled with darker brown; larvae have yellow dot in the middle of each segment, a dark W on the eighth abdominal segment, and smooth skin.

Velvetbean Caterpillar (Anticarsia gemmatalis): Adult moths are brown with grayish brown forewings and hind wings, a contrasting oblique line crosses both wings; the moths have a wingspread of 1 1/2 inches.  Larvae are slender, green to black in color with alternate light and dark stripes the length of the body; larvae are about 1 1/2 inches long when full grown.

Western Yellowstriped Armyworm (Spodoptera praefica): Adult moths have mottled forewings and silvery hind wings. Larvae are velvety black with yellow stripes.
 
 

Yellowstriped Armyworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli): Adult moths have mottled gray or brown forewings and pale hind wings. Larvae are olive-green to brown, a double row of green or black spots occur on the back, and a bright orange stripe can be seen outside the spots.

 

Yellow Woollybear Caterpillar (Diacrisia virginica): Adult moths have white wings with black dots, a yellow-brown black spotted abdomen, and a wingspread of 1 1/2 inches.  Larvae are yellow or straw colored with black lines and very hairy.

Garden Symphylan (Scutigerellaim maculata): Also known as the garden centipede.  This pest is small, 1/4 inch long, pure white, worm-like, segmented, has 12 pairs of legs and long antennae; they feed on small roots, root hairs, and other underground plant parts.

Camel Cricket (Daihinia brevipes): This cricket is brownish and somewhat humpbacked in appearance; antennae are adjacent at base; the hind femora are long.  This cricket can be found in caves, under logs and rocks, and in similar dark moist places.

Changa (Scapteriscus vicinus): Adults are brown above, light brown underneath, and around 1 1/2 inches long; they are very similar in appearance to the southern mole cricket.

Field Crickets (Gryllus spp.): Nymphs and adults are black or brown, 3/5 to 1 inch long, and the antennae are a half longer than the body.  Nymphs and adults feed on foliage, flowers, and stems.

Jerusalem Cricket (Stenopelmatus fuscus): This cricket is large, wingless, amber brown, and injurious to little except potato tubers in newly broken soil.
 

Northern Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpa hexadactyla): This cricket is brownish above, paler underneath, large, around 1 1/2 inches long, and covered with velvety hairs; their front legs are enlarged and terminate in four strong blade-like teeth called dactyls.  Most of their injury comes from the tunnels they form in the upper two inches of soil, which cut off roots of plants; but they also cut off stems above ground and eat seeds.

Southern Mole Cricket (Scapteriscus acletus): This cricket is similar to the northern mole cricket except it has 2 dactyls instead of four and is pinkish buff in color.

Cabbage Curculio (Ceutorhynchus rapae): Adults are ash gray weevils with a short snout and around 1/8 inch long; adults gouge out leaves and stems.  Larvae are white brown-headed grubs that hollow out the stems.

Cabbage Seedstalk Curculio (Ceutorhynchus quadridens): This curculio is similar to the cabbage curculio.

Clover Root Curculio (Sitona hispidula): Adults are small, grayish or brownish with blunt short snouts, and about 1/6 inch long; adults feed on leaves, stems, and buds.  Larvae are small, grayish-white, footless, brown-headed, and about 1/6 inch long; larvae feed on and burrow out roots.
 

Cowpea Curculio (Chalcodermus aeneus): Adults are bronzy-black snout beetles, humpbacked, and around 1/5 inch long; adults feed on plants and deposit eggs in holes eaten through the pods.  Larvae are whitish grubs with small yellowish heads, legless, around 1/4 inch long, and bear a white Y on the front; larvae feed inside the seeds within the growing pods.

Adult cowpea curculio

Larva emerging from pea

 

Rhubarb Curculio (Lixus concavus): Also known as the Rhubarb Weevil.  Adult snout beetles are blackish, covered with a rusty yellow dust, and around 1/2 inch long; adults feed on rhubarb stalks and lay eggs in them.  Larvae develop and feed on common curled dock.