Page 572 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Erebidae
DISTRIBUTION From eastern Canada and eastern United States to the Caribbean,
south to central Argentina
HABITAT Fields, grasslands, gardens, and open areas
HOST PLANTS Various grasses, including crops such as Oat (Avena sativa),
Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum), Sugarcane (Saccharum
o cinarum), Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), Wheat (Triticum
aestivum), and Maize (Zea mays)
NOTE Striped caterpillar that feeds on grasses
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common

ADULT WINGSPAN
1 ⁄ –1 ⁄ in (33–43 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2–2⅜ in (50–60 mm)
MOCIS LATIPES
STRIPED GRASS LOOPER
570
(GUENÉE, 1852)

Striped Grass Looper caterpillars hatch from eggs laid on grass
blades; a single female will lay more than 250. Young larvae
usually just scrape the top surface of the leaf, while the later
instars feed on entire leaves. To avoid predators and parasitoids,
they feed at night and spend the day in a shelter at the base of the
leaf. When disturbed, the caterpillars drop to the ground, where
they blend perfectly with the dry stems and leaves of their host
plants. Development over seven instars takes about 27 days at
temperatures of around 68°F (20°C). The larvae pupate inside
a grass shelter.

Mocis latipes adults y from May through December in northern
locales but can breed continuously in the tropics. The caterpillar
can be a damaging pest of pasture grasses, sorghum, maize, and
rice, with occasional outbreaks on sugarcane in tropical areas
such as the Caribbean. It is controlled by parasitoids such as
sarcophagid flies, and braconid, chalcid, and ichneumonid
wasps. Mocis latipes represents a large genus of about 40 species,
many of which are similar-looking.

The Striped Grass Looper caterpillar has only
three pairs of abdominal prolegs, missing them
on abdominal segments three and four. By the
third instar, it acquires its characteristic striated
coloration of thin, horizontal, brown, white, and
Actual size beige stripes that extend through the head.
The white subspiracular stripe is a little more
prominent than the rest; below it, the body is
darker. There may be a number of black
markings along the subdorsal line on
abdominal segments one and two.