Beet armyworm

Beet armyworm
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Spodoptera
Species:
S. exigua
Binomial name
Spodoptera exigua
(Hübner, 1808)
Synonyms
  • Noctua exigua Hubner, 1808
  • Caradrina venosa Butler, 1880
  • Laphygma exigua

The beet armyworm or small mottled willow moth (Spodoptera exigua) is one of the best-known agricultural pest insects. It is also known as the asparagus fern caterpillar. It is native to Asia, but has been introduced worldwide and is now found almost anywhere its many host crops are grown.[1] The voracious larvae are the main culprits. In the British Isles, where it is an introduced species and not known to breed, the adult moth is known as the small mottled willow moth.[2]

  1. ^ "Spodoptera exigua (Hübner)". ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  2. ^ "beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua)". Plantwise Technical Factsheet. Retrieved 3 August 2016.