Yellow-striped Armyworm Moth Caterpillar

Description:

The Yellowstriped Armyworm or Cotton Cutworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. The larvae feed on various plants, including alfalfa, asparagus, bean, beet, cabbage, clover, corn, cotton, cucumber, grape, grass, jimsonweed, morning glory, onion, pea, peach, peanut, sweet potato, tobacco, tomato, turnip, wheat, watermelon and wild onion.

Habitat:

It is found in Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante, Saint Kitts, Dominica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica. In North America it is found from California to Florida plus the eastern states, west to Kansas, and South-eastern Canada from Nova Scotia to Ontario. In South America it is found in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela. The distribution of this native insect includes Mexico, Central and South America, and many Caribbean islands. As a pest, however, its occurrence is limited principally to the southeastern states. This one was photographed feeding on zinnia at a farm near Waynesboro (Burke County), GA.