Stats

Lifespan

4-6 weeks

Size

Small

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

Southeast Asia

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Uncommon

About

Beet armyworm moths are the larvae of the Spodoptera exigua, a species of moth native to Asia, but now found almost everywhere its many host crops are grown. Beet armyworms are voracious, and their larvae are the main culprits in the destruction of many crops.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2. 2.
   caterpillar

   A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3. 3.
   cocoon

   A silk cocoon spun in leaf litter or soil while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4. 4.
   moth

   A winged adult with feathery antennae and scaled wings, most active after dark.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Noctuidae

Genus

Spodoptera

Species

Spodoptera exigua