''Spodoptera cilium'', known variously as dark mottled willow, lawn caterpillar and grasslawn armyworm, is a

noctuid The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

found throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa and western, southern, and south-east

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

and several countries in southern and eastern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

. It is a migrant to northern Europe and has been recorded at least nine times in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The larva feeds on ''

Oryza ''Oryza'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. It includes the major food crop rice (species ''Oryza sativa'' and ''Oryza glaberrima''). Members of the genus grow as tall, wetland grasses, growing to tall; the genus includes both annual a ...

''. It is sometimes a

pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

References

External links

Fauna EuropaeaLepiforum.deUK Moths
Spodoptera Agricultural pest insects Insect pests of ornamental plants Moths described in 1852 Owlet moths of Europe Owlet moths of Africa Moths of Japan Moths of Madagascar Moths of Mauritius Moths of the Middle East Moths of Réunion Moths of Seychelles Taxa named by Achille Guenée {{Caradrinini-stub

See also

References

External links