Helicoverpa zea
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Author(s): Sturgis McKeever, Georgia Southern University
Source: IPM Images
Helicoverpa zea (Boddie, 1850) - (American cotton bollworm)
This moth is regarded as an economically important pest in the Americas, infesting crops like maize, cotton, soybean, vegetables and many other crops. The host range also includes some weeds. However, in North America, the impact on grain yield and quality of maize appears to be small (Bibb et al., 2018).
The insect does not overwinter in areas above ~40° latitude in North American, but regularly invades these areas by migration. The caterpillars feed mainly on buds and developing fruits, but may also bore into the whorls or stems. The development from egg, through 5-6 larval stages to mature adult lasts 3-8 weeks, depending on the temperature. Correspondingly, the number of generations per year ranges from 1 to 5 or more.
| Vernacular names | |
|---|---|
| • Deutsch: | Amerikanischer Baumwollkapselwurm |
| • English: | American cotton bollworm corn earworm tomato fruitworm |
| • Español: | gusano de las cápsulas del algodón |
| • Français: | ver de la capsule du cotonnier ver de l'épi du maïs |
| • Português: | lagarta-das-espigas broca-grande-do-fruto lagarta-da-espiga-do-milho |
The caterpillars have a variable color from light green to dark brown. Usually there is a dark band along each side, followed by a lighter, more ventrally located band. The adult has a wingspan of about 4 cm. The forewings are brownish, often with a central dark spot and a broad darker band across the apical half of the wing.
Helicoverpa zea is very similar in morphology and biology to the old world species Helicoverpa armigera. Both species can interbreed.
Synonyms:
Heliothis stombleri
Heliothis zea
For a review see Reay-Jones (2019).
- Other images of Helicoverpa zea (IPM Images and PaDIL - click to enlarge)
larva
larval sizes by age (in days)
larva on cotton
head of larva
mandible of larva
pupa
adult
mounted adult
genitalia of male (right side: aedeagus with 3 groups of cornuti, 17 in all)
eggs on cotton
head
head
head
