Bollworm
Encyclopedia
A bollworm is a common term for any larva
of a moth
that attacks the fruiting bodies of certain crops
, especially cotton
.
The most common moths known as bollworms are:
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
of a moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
that attacks the fruiting bodies of certain crops
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, especially cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
.
The most common moths known as bollworms are:
- Red or Sudan Bollworm: Diaparopsis
- Rough Bollworm: Earias perhuegeliEarias perhuegeliThe Rough Bollworm is a moth of the Nolidae family. It is found in the northern two-thirds of Australia and several islands in the South Pacific.The wingspan is about 20 mm...
- Spotted Bollworm: Earias fabia
- Spiny Bollworm: Earias insulanaEarias insulanaThe Egyptian Stemborer, Egyptian Bollworm, Spiny Bollworm or Cotton Spotted Bollworm is a moth of the Nolidae family. It is found in most of Africa, southern Europe, the Near East and Middle East, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia and Hawaii. It is a rare in immigrant in Great Britain.The...
- Spotted Bollworm: Earias vittella
- American Cotton Bollworm or Tomato Grub: Helicoverpa armigeraHelicoverpa armigeraThe cotton bollworm, corn earworm or Old World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, is a moth, the larvae of which feed on a wide range of plants, including many important cultivated crops. It is a major pest in cotton and one of the most polyphagous and cosmopolitan pest species...
- Cotton Bollworm: Helicoverpa gelotopoeonHelicoverpa gelotopoeonHelicoverpa gelotopoeon is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in southern South America, including Chile and Argentina.The larvae are considered a pest on cotton, com, tobacco, soybean, flax and other crops.-External links:*...
- Cotton Bollworm: Helicoverpa punctigeraHelicoverpa punctigeraThe Native Budworm or Australian Bollworm is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Australia.The wingspan is ca. 40 mm....
- Corn Earworm: Helicoverpa zeaHelicoverpa zeaThe larva of the moth Helicoverpa zea is a major agricultural pest. It can feed on many different plants during the larval stage. Accordingly, the species has been given many different common names. When the larva consumes cotton, it is known as the cotton bollworm...
- Tobacco Budworm: Heliothis virescensHeliothis virescensThe Tobacco Budworm is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Brazil and the Antilles. The wingspan is 28-35 mm....
- Pink Bollworm: Pectinophora gossypiella
- Pink Spotted Bollworm: Pectinophora scutigeraPectinophora scutigeraThe Queensland Pink Bollworm or Pinkspotted Bollworm is a moth of the Gelechiidae family. It was described from Australia, where it occurs in coastal and central Queensland...
External links
- H. virescens, tobacco budworm on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
Featured Creatures Web site