Noctuidae

Thesaurus

Noun

Noctuidae - cutworms; armywormsfamily Noctuidaearthropod family - any of the arthropodsLepidoptera, order Lepidoptera - moths and butterfliesnoctuid, noctuid moth, owlet moth - usually dull-colored medium-sized nocturnal moth; the usually smooth-bodied larvae are destructive agricultural pestscutworm - North American moth whose larvae feed on young plant stems cutting them off at the groundgenus Noctua, Noctua - type genus of the Noctuidae: moths whose larvae are cutwormsCatacala, genus Catacala - moths whose larvae are cutworms: underwingsCerapteryx, genus Cerapteryx - antler mothsgenus Heliothis, Heliothis - a genus of NoctuidaeChorizagrotis, genus Chorizagrotis - moths whose larvae are army cutwormsgenus Pseudaletia, Pseudaletia - moths whose larvae are armywormsgenus Spodoptera, Spodoptera - moths whose larvae are armywormscorn earworm, cotton bollworm, Heliothis zia, tobacco budworm, tomato fruitworm, vetchworm - larva of a noctuid moth; highly destructive to especially corn and cotton and tomato crops

Noctuidae

[näk′tü·ə‚dē] (invertebrate zoology) A large family of dull-colored, medium-sized moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea; larva are mostly exposed foliage feeders, representing an important group of agricultural pests.

Noctuidae

(owlet moths), a family of Lepidoptera. The wingspread ranges from 1 to 30 cm (in Erebus odora—the largest moth) but most often is between 3 and 5 cm. The antennae are usually setaceous, but in some species they are pectinate. The elongate, triangular fore wings are in most cases gray or brown with characteristic markings of three spots (a round one, a kidney-shaped one, and wedge-shaped one) and several wavy diagonal stripes. The hind wings are wider and more rounded than the fore wings; they are gray or, less commonly, red or yellow with black bands. The larvae have five or, less frequently, three or four pairs of abdominal legs. They are generally naked or have slightly noticeable setae. Only larvae of the subfamily Apatelinae are pilose. Pupation occurs in soil “cradles” or, in some species, in fragile cocoons on plants. Most noctuids, including both adult and larval forms, are active at night.

There are about 20,000 species (according to other data, as many as 30,000) distributed throughout the world. More than 2,000 species occur in the USSR. Owlet moths include many agricultural and forest pests. Field and garden crops are damaged by Agrotis segetum and Agrotis exclamationis. Barathra brassicae infests cabbage and sugarbeet crops, and Heliothis armiger and Plusia gamma attack industrial, cucurbitaceous, and other crops. Grain crops are damaged by Hadena sórdida and Parastichtis basilinea, and coniferous forests are infested by Panolis flammea.

Control measures include the implementation of progressive agricultural techniques (for example, deep autumn plowing), the use of entomophagous organisms (for example, Trichogramma), and, in the case of massive infestations, dusting or spraying plantings and seeds with insecticides.

REFERENCES

Pospelov, S. M. Sovki-vrediteli sel’skokhoziaistvennykh kul’tur, 2nd ed. Leningrad, 1969.
Kozhanchikov, I. V. Sovki (podsemeistvo Agrotinae). Moscow-Leningrad, 1937. (Fauna SSSR: Nasekomye cheshuekrylye, vol. 13, issue 3.)
Merzheevskaia, O. I. Sovki (Noctuidae) Belorussii. Minsk, 1971.
Spuler, A. Die Schmetterlinge Europas, 3rd ed., vols. l-t. Stuttgart, 1908–10.

M. I. FAL’KOVICH

Noctuidae

Related to Noctuidae: owlet moth, noctuid moth, family Noctuidae

noun

Synonyms for Noctuidae

noun cutworms

Synonyms

family Noctuidae

Related Words

arthropod family
Lepidoptera
order Lepidoptera
noctuid
noctuid moth
owlet moth
cutworm
genus Noctua
Noctua
Catacala
genus Catacala
Cerapteryx
genus Cerapteryx
genus Heliothis
Heliothis
Chorizagrotis
genus Chorizagrotis
genus Pseudaletia
Pseudaletia
genus Spodoptera
Spodoptera
corn earworm
cotton bollworm
Heliothis zia
tobacco budworm
tomato fruitworm
vetchworm