''Hellula undalis'', the cabbage webworm or Old World webworm, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Crambidae Crambidae comprises the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, with the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies ...

. It is a widespread species which is found from Europe across Asia to the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. It was first described from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

but it is a tropical or subtropical species only occasional in Europe. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is about 18 mm. The forewings are greyish-brown with wavy grey markings, a curved pale subterminal patch and a kidney shaped mark at one third. The hindwings are pale, with the tip lighter. lepiforum.de includes images
It is a pest of ''

Brassica oleracea ''Brassica oleracea'', also known as wild cabbage in its uncultivated form, is a plant of the family Brassicaceae. The species originated from feral populations of related plants in the Eastern Mediterranean, where it was most likely first cultiv ...

'' (cabbage) and ''

Brassica rapa ''Brassica rapa'' is a plant species that has been widely cultivated into many forms, including the turnip (a root vegetable), komatsuna, napa cabbage, bomdong, bok choy, and rapini. ''Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''oleifera'' is an oilseed c ...

'' (turnip)

References

External links

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UKMothsFauna EuropaeaImage of the Larva
Glaphyriini Moths of Africa Moths of Europe Moths of the Middle East Moths of Cape Verde Moths of the Comoros Moths of Japan Moths of Madagascar Moths of Mauritius Moths of New Zealand Moths of Réunion Moths of Seychelles Moths of Asia Moths described in 1794 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius {{Glaphyriinae-stub