Helicoverpa assulta

Helicoverpa assulta
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Helicoverpa
Species:
H. assulta
Binomial name
Helicoverpa assulta
(Guenée, 1852)
Synonyms
  • Chloridea assulta
  • Heliothis assulta Guenée, 1852
  • Helicoverpa separata Walker, 1857
  • Helicoverpa temperata Walker, 1857
  • Helicoverpa succinea Moore, 1881
  • Helicoverpa afra Hardwick, 1965

Helicoverpa assulta, the oriental tobacco budworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. H. assulta adults are migratory and are found all over the Old World Tropics including Asia,[1] Africa, and Australia.

This species has a brown coloured pattern on their forewings while their hindwings are yellowish orange and have a brown margin which has a pale mark.[2] The wingspan is about 25 millimetres (0.98 in). H. assulta is closely related to Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa zea.[3]

The larvae feed on various Solanaceae species, including Lycopersicon, Nicotiana (Nicotiana tabacum), Physalis and Solanum. It also feeds on fruits of Physalis peruviana and Datura species.[2] Because of its feeding behavior, H. assulta is considered a pest of economically viable crops including tomatoes, tobacco, and hot peppers. Due to the pest status, understanding how to control the moth’s behavior is a priority, but the species’ larval eating behavior and growing resistance to insecticide complicate pest control.

  1. ^ Wang, Kai-Yun; Zhang, Yong; Wang, Hong-Yan; Xia, Xiao-Ming; Liu, Tong-Xian (2008-12-01). "Biology and life table studies of the oriental tobacco budworm, Helicoverpa assulta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), influenced by different larval diets". Insect Science. 15 (6): 569–576. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7917.2008.00247.x. ISSN 1744-7917. S2CID 84483177.
  2. ^ a b "Helicoverpa assulta (Guenée, 1852)". Lepidopterta Butterfly House. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  3. ^ Berg, Bente G.; Almaas, Tor Jørgen; Bjaalie, Jan G.; Mustaparta, Hanna (2005-06-06). "Projections of male-specific receptor neurons in the antennal lobe of the oriental tobacco budworm moth, Helicoverpa assulta: A unique glomerular organization among related species". The Journal of Comparative Neurology. 486 (3): 209–220. doi:10.1002/cne.20544. ISSN 1096-9861. PMID 15844171. S2CID 25299554.