Page 619 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Noctuidae
DISTRIBUTION Northern areas of Africa, the Middle East, and much of southern
Asia; migrant farther north, reaching the British Isles, southern
Scandinavia, southern Urals, and northern China
HABITAT Dry, generally warm, open habitats, including semidesert and
cultivated land, including gardens; also open habitats as a migrant
HOST PLANTS Many, including Asteraceae, such as Pot Marigold (Calendula
o cinalis); Geraniaceae, such as pelargonium (Pelargonium spp.);
and Solanaceae such as Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna);
also crops such as Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and Soybean
(Glycine max)
NOTE Caterpillar that can be a crop pest in subtropical climates
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated

ADULT WINGSPAN
1¼–1⅝ in (32–42 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1¼–1½ in (32–38 mm)
HELIOTHIS PELTIGERA
BORDERED STRAW 617

([DENIS & SCHIFFERMÜLLER], 1775)

The Bordered Straw caterpillar hatches from a ribbed, white-
and-purple egg laid on the food plant. When young, it often lives
in a slight web near a shoot tip but feeds openly when larger.
It forms a pupa in a fragile cocoon in the ground. In warm
climates, this species may breed continuously. Farther north it
has one to three generations, with migrants arriving from the
south from May onward. It does not survive temperate winters.

In subtropical areas, the Bordered Straw caterpillar is often
reported as a pest on a wide variety of crops, although this

may sometimes be due to misidenti cation. In more northern,
temperate areas such as the British Isles, it is not recorded as a
crop pest and is more likely to be found on garden plants such as
Calendula and Pelargonium. Some green forms of the extremely
variable Scarce Bordered Straw (Helicoverpa armigera)
caterpillar closely resemble the Bordered Straw.

The Bordered Straw caterpillar has sparse,
rather short but quite noticeable whitish hairs
on all segments, arising from small, pale, or dark
warts. It may be light or dark green, banded
green and pinkish, or dark purplish gray tinged
with green. Most forms have distinct lighter
and darker stripes, including a bright whitish
or yellowish line along the sides.
Actual size