Ctenoplusia agnata is an East Asian moth whose caterpillars chew soybean leaves down to the veins, making it a crop pest. It isn't found in the United States. Its brown forewings carry silver marks typical of the plusia group of moths, and it's sometimes called the three-spotted plusia.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A moth with a wingspan of about 1.4 in (34–35 mm). Each brown forewing has a silver U-shaped mark and a separate round silver spot of about the same size.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Soybean fields
- Vegetable fields
- Range
- East Asia, including Korea, Japan, and China. Not found in the US, where a different relative in the same genus, the sharp-stigma , occurs.
- Preferred conditions
- Most common around soybean fields. It's a strong flier that can migrate well over 100 miles (hundreds of kilometers).
Behavior
- Diet
- Caterpillars feed on many crops, especially soybeans, plus cabbage-family vegetables, cotton, and tobacco.
Life cycle
- Larva
- A pale green looper caterpillar that walks with an inchworm-like hump because it's missing some of its middle .
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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