Western Lepidoptera IV

On-plant movement and feeding of western bean cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) early instars on corn.

Western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta (Smith), has undergone a recent eastward expansion from the western U.S. Corn Belt to Pennsylvania and parts of Canada. Little is known about its ecology and behavior, particularly during the early instars, on corn (Zea mays L.). There is a narrow treatment window for larvae, and early detection of the pest in the field is essential. An understanding ...

Bioenergetics of the western spruce budworm (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) with comments on endotherm and ectotherm population energetics

Two New Species of Wockia Heinemann (Lepidoptera: Urodidae) from Coastal Dry-Forests in Western Mexico

—Two new species of Wockia Heinemann, 1870 (Lepidoptera: Urodidae), W. chewbacca and W. mexicana, are described from primary dry-forests in western México. A new host record is reported for the genus from larvae of W. chewbacca feeding on leaves of Casearia nitida (L.) Jacq. (Salicaceae). Several shared genitalic features and DNA barcode similarities suggest a congeneric relationship between th...

Evaluation of tolerance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins among laboratory-reared western bean cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a destructive insect pest of dry beans and corn within its native range of western Nebraska and eastern Colorado. However, since the initiation of an eastward range expansion of S. albicosta in the late 1990s, economic damage has been observed in the Midwest, and the species has now reached the Atlantic Coast an...

Genetic analysis of cabbage loopers, Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a seasonal migrant in western North America

Long-range migrations of many wind-borne noctuid moths will have been influenced by the expansion of agriculture that provides greater availability of food plants along the migratory route. The migratory, agricultural pest, Trichoplusia ni (cabbage looper) over-winters in southern California and each summer migrates as far north as British Columbia. We explored the degree of genetic connectivit...