• Cutworms

Published le 19 Oct 2005
Dernière modification le 03 May 2007

  • Classification of the organism

    • Common name Order/Family Scientific name Plants/attacked parts Localization
    Cutworms  Noctuidae  Agrotis spp.  Leguminous, cereals, vegetable crops, tobacco, cotton etc /Leaf and stem   Imerina (Madagascar, High Plateaux)  
    Cutworms  Noctuidae  Agrotis ipsilon  Potato   Comoros, Mauritius, Reunion 

  • Description

    • Eggs : Spherical approximately 5 mm in diameter

    Larvae : At the end of their development, the caterpillars measure 40 to 50 mm long. They are glabrous and greyish. The ventral part is paler than the dorsal part. In the middle of the dorsum there is a longitudinal dark line, accompanied on each side by a lighter line. Each segment of the body is laterally marked with little dark spots very distinct. The head is bright black.

    Nymphs : The pupa is of a dark brown colour and bright, 18 to 20 mm long with two small thorns at the extremity of the abdomen. Present in the ground.

    Adults : Nocturnal butterfly with a body between 18 to 22 mm long and a span of 36 to 50mm. The head, the thorax and the abdomen are greyish brown and very hairy. The front wings are brown grey and have several characteristic spots, the bigger one being reniform. The external borders of the wings are fringed.

    The hind wings, hidden under the front wings at rest, are white with dark veins and brown borders.

    Long filiform antennae.

  • Description of the damages

    • The young caterpillars feed on leaves that they perforate in an irregular way. The older caterpillars provoke more important damage. Being unable any more to go up the plants, these hide in the superficial layers of the ground and feed at the base of the young plants at ground level. This provokes withering and drying of the attacked plants.

    The plants with tender stems like potatoes are attacked during most of their vegetative cycle, while the attacks in other plants with stronger stems take only place during the first stages. The underground parts of the plants (young pods of peanuts, potato tubers ) are also eaten.

    A caterpillar does not feed exclusively of one plant, but attacks in turn several plants.

    Larves de ver gris (Agrotis ipsilon)

  • Country of edition

    • Madagascar

  • Author/Institution

    • Direction de la Protection des Végétaux

  • Validated by:

    • En attente de validation.

  • Control methods





    • Photograph : MSIRI