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Spodoptera litura (Fabricius)
Taxonomic position
Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea: Noctuidae: Hadeninae
Common names
Tobacco caterpillar, asian cotton leafworm, oriental leafworm moth, cluster caterpillar
Habitat / Crop(s) damaged
Polyphagous on several hosts including castor, cotton, tobacco, groundnut, sorghum, maize, soybean, banana, guava, brinjal, beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower, Colocasia, etc.
In most plants, extensive defoliation and complete stripping of plants occur due to larval feeding. Characteristic symptoms of damage on some major hosts are as follows:
On cotton: Leaves reduced to papery structure due to scraping early stage larvae, defoliation by grown up caterpillars which are robust, dark grayish brown with five orange longitudinal lines, black circular markings and semi lunar markings on the sides; and bolls with large bore holes
form which yellowish-green to dark green excreta protruding out.
On tobacco: Leaves reduced to papery structures initially which later become reddish brown irregular patches by numerous small greenish to blackish green caterpillars on the undersurface of leaves; leaves riddled with large holes, often reduced to midrib by grown up robust, dark brownish green caterpillars with five orange longitudinal lines, black circular markings and semilunar markings on the sides.
Pest status
Major pest of cotton, tobacco and many vegetables.
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