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Spodoptera ornithogalli
A snake appearing caterpillar for snake week, Noctua pronuba is a species which has widely naturalized in North America after an introduction in 1979 in Nova Scotia. Secretes (or excretes!) a brown liquid when handled.
Commonly feed on grasses and beans.
8 Comments
Thanks Keith for the ID confirmation!
Thanks Dan! I owe it to Keith, though! :)
Nice J! I just saw one yesterday. Wasn't sure what it was, now I know.
The white marks on the head seal the deal. That's definitely Spodoptera. It's possible the image you linked to at BugGuide is in the wrong place. Submissions to the guide aren't policed by experts so incorrect submission do sneak in. Or, she may know something about the specimen that we do not.
Thanks for that, Keith. I looked back at all of the angles, but couldn't see a black patch, yet I did notice the face was different.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/151389
What you suggested is more sensical in the photo of the face (unfortunately blurry) that I just uploaded, yet I am still confused as to why Noctua pronuba was identified for this one:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/482289/bgi...
I'll change the ID to Spodoptera ornithogalli, and I'll submit the photos to BAMONA and see what the cat experts think. Sounds good?
It's a tough one. Since you bring up the black patch, take a look at the middle image. Looking at the topmost visible brown semicircle, there seems to be a black spot to the left on the side of the body. You can kind of also see it on the first image at about the 3 o'clock position. I probably would say Spodoptera, but I never would have even considered Noctua. Tunnel vision can sometimes be a problem with ID'ing. I've missed more than one ID because an insect looked like something I was familiar with, only to turn out to be something I was unfamiliar with. I'm gonna go check MY Spodoptera spotting to see If I got the right one.
Thanks Fyn! Keith, thanks for locating another close match. They look very similar, yet I couldn't locate the black patch. What do you think?
I would have identified this as Spodoptera ornithogalli, but I see that they are very similar. Do you know how to distinguish between the two?
I love the Moths of these! I see tons of them.