The Granulate Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): Biological Parameters Under Controlled Conditions, Host Plants, and Distribution in the Americas

Abstract

Feltia subterranea (Fabricius), commonly known as the granulate cutworm, is a common species of owlet moths (Noctuidae) of major agricultural importance, widely distributed in Nearctic and Neotropical regions. This study was conducted to determine the species biological parameters, gather information about its larval host plants, and assess the agricultural significance of this species in the Americas. The viability of the egg, larval, pupal stages, and prepupal period was 98, 98, and 100%, respectively, under laboratory conditions. The average duration of the egg, larval, pupal stages, and prepupal period was 3, 17, 4, and 13 d, respectively. All laboratory-reared larvae developed through five instars. The growth ratio was 1.93 for females and 1.85 for males. The duration of the larval stage was significantly longer in females than in males from the fourth instar. The duration of the pupal stage was significantly shorter in females than in males. When larval and pupal stage durations were combined, there were no significant differences in total development time as a function of sex. In total, 159 botanical taxa belonging to 41 families were recorded as host species for F. subterranea. The families with the greatest number of host species were Fabaceae (22), Poaceae (19), Asteraceae (16), Brassicaceae (13), Solanaceae (12), Amaranthaceae (7), Cucurbitaceae (7), and Malvaceae (5). It is noteworthy that the large number of native weeds used by F. subterranea as host plants could represent a significant source of infestation of crops in the agricultural landscape.

Cutworms (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in central Brazil Savanna: temporal distribution and association of species abundance with climatic and meteorological factors

“…1982; Lafontaine 2004; Specht et al . 2020). It is possible that this species can cause occasional damage to crops in the Cerrado, as F. subterranea temporal distribution is very similar to A. ipsilon although in lower abundances.…”

“…2008; Specht et al . 2020). These species are highly polyphagous and are multivoltines with high reproductive capacity (Mariconi 1954; Crumb 1956; Oliver & Chapin 1981; Santos & Nakano 1982; Saunders et al .…”

“…All recorded species are widely distributed: Agrotis ipsilon is cosmopolitan (Lafontaine 2004), Feltia repleta and Feltia subterranea are widely distributed all through the Americas (Lafontaine 2004; Specht et al . 2020) and Agrotis canities and Feltia submontana are widely distributed in South America (San Blas 2014; Dias et al . 2019).…”

“…The multivoltinism and short immature life span of some species of Agrotis and Feltia (less than 2 months, e.g. Bento et al 2007;Specht et al 2020) suggest that these species use herbaceous native plants (Eiten 1972), crops or cover crops as hostplants during larvae, as they remain green after the end of the rains (April onwards) or even during the dry season. Because they are known to have good dispersal ability or even migrate in other continents (e.g.…”

“…These species are well-known species of agricultural importance, attacking several different crops all over the world (Jones 1918;Crumb 1929Crumb , 1956Mariconi 1954;Silva et al 1968;Oliver & Chapin 1981;Santos & Nakano 1982;Saunders et al 1998;Lafontaine 2004;Angulo et al 2008;Specht et al 2020). These species are highly polyphagous and are multivoltines with high reproductive capacity (Mariconi 1954;Crumb 1956;Oliver & Chapin 1981;Santos & Nakano 1982;Saunders et al 1998;Lafontaine 2004;Bento et al 2007;Angulo et al 2008;Specht et al 2020). All three species have good dispersal capacity and they are able to migrate in certain circumstances (Ferguson et al 1991;Showers 1997;Lafontaine 2004;Wagner et al 2011).…”