Bollworm is the common term for a moth

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

that attacks the fruiting bodies of certain

crops A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, fibre, or fuel. When plants of the same species a ...

, especially

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

. The most common moths known as bollworms are: * Red or Sudan bollworm, ''

Diparopsis castanea ''Diparopsis castanea'' is the type species of the genus '' Diparopsis'': moths in the family Noctuidae; no subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life. This is known as the red bollworm, which is a significant pest of cotton crops in Eastern ...

'' * Rough bollworm, '' Earias perhuegeli'' * Spotted bollworm, '' Earias fabia'' * Spiny bollworm, ''

Earias insulana ''Earias insulana'', the Egyptian stemborer, Egyptian bollworm, spiny bollworm or cotton spotted bollworm, is a moth of the family Nolidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1833. It is found in most of Africa, southe ...

'' * Spotted bollworm, ''

Earias vittella ''Earias vittella'', an Asian "spotted bollworm", is a moth species in the family Nolidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius Johann Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, spec ...

'' * American cotton bollworm or tomato grub, ''

Helicoverpa armigera ''Helicoverpa armigera'' is a species of Lepidoptera in the family Noctuidae. It is known as the cotton bollworm, corn earworm, Old World (African) bollworm, or scarce bordered straw (the lattermost in the UK, where it is a migrant). The larvae ...

'' * Cotton bollworm, ''

Helicoverpa gelotopoeon ''Helicoverpa gelotopoeon'', the South American bollworm moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in southern South America, including Chile and Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the south ...

'' * Cotton bollworm, ''

Helicoverpa punctigera ''Helicoverpa punctigera'', the native budworm, Australian bollworm or ''Chloridea marmada'', is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. This species is native to Australia. ''H. punctigera'' are capable of long-distance migration from their i ...

'' * Corn earworm, ''

Helicoverpa zea ''Helicoverpa zea, ''commonly known as the corn earworm, is a species (formerly in the genus ''Heliothis'') in the family Noctuidae. The larva of the moth ''Helicoverpa zea'' is a major agricultural pest (organism), pest. Since it is polyphagous ...

'' * Tobacco budworm, ''

Heliothis virescens ''Chloridea virescens'', commonly known as the tobacco budworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae found throughout the eastern and southwestern United States along with parts of Central America and South America. It is a major pest of field crop ...

'' * Pink bollworm, ''

Pectinophora gossypiella The pink bollworm (''Pectinophora gossypiella''; ) is an insect known for being a pest in cotton farming. The adult is a small, thin, gray moth with fringed wings. The larva is a dull white caterpillar with eight pairs of legs with conspicuous pin ...

'' * Pinkspotted bollworm, ''

Pectinophora scutigera ''Pectinophora scutigera'', the Queensland pink bollworm or pinkspotted bollworm, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Holdaway in 1926 from Australia, where it occurs in coastal and central Queensland. It has also been record ...

External links

''H. virescens'', tobacco budworm
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site {{Animal common name Lepidoptera and humans Agricultural pest insects Former disambiguation pages converted to set index articles

See also

External links