The granulate cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): Biological parameters under controlled conditions, host plants, and distribution in the Americas

Authors

Alexandre Specht, Embrapa CerradosFollow
Fernando M.S. Dias, Universidade Estadual de Londrina
Germán San Blas, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa
Vânia F. Roque-Specht, Universidade de Brasília
Mirna M. Casagrande, Universidade Federal do Parana
Olaf H.H. Mielke, Universidade Federal do Parana
Débora G. Montezano, Corteva Agrisciense
Izailda Barbosa Santos, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Silvana V. Paula-Moraes, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Thomas E. Hunt, Eastern Nebraska Research & Extension - Northeast DistrictFollow
Juaci V. Malaquias, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Embrapa
Felipe A.D. Bonfin, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Embrapa
Paulo V.M. Vieira, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Embrapa

ORCID IDs

Alexandre Specht http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8921-0340

Fernando M. S. Dias http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7198-7792

Germán San Blas https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3119-590X

Vânia F. Roque-Specht http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5903-3072

Mirna M. Casagrande http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6076-8463

Olaf H. H. Mielke http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3655-4606

Débora G. Montezano http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1476-6923

Silvana V. Paula-Moraes https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6888-2300

Juaci V. Malaquias http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6720-9624

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

11-1-2020

Citation

Journal of Insect Science, (2020) 20(6): 22; 1–18

doi: 10.1093/jisesa/ieaa115

Comments

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License

Abstract

Feltia subterranea (Fabricius), commonly known as the granulate cutworm, is a common species of owlet moths (Noctuidae) of major agricultural importance, widely distributed in Nearctic and Neotropical regions. This study was conducted to determine the species biological parameters, gather information about its larval host plants, and assess the agricultural significance of this species in the Americas. The viability of the egg, larval, pupal stages, and prepupal period was 98, 98, and 100%, respectively, under laboratory conditions. The average duration of the egg, larval, pupal stages, and prepupal period was 3, 17, 4, and 13 d, respectively. All laboratory-reared larvae developed through five instars. The growth ratio was 1.93 for females and 1.85 for males. The duration of the larval stage was significantly longer in females than in males from the fourth instar. The duration of the pupal stage was significantly shorter in females than in males. When larval and pupal stage durations were combined, there were no significant differences in total development time as a function of sex. In total, 159 botanical taxa belonging to 41 families were recorded as host species for F. subterranea. The families with the greatest number of host species were Fabaceae (22), Poaceae (19), Asteraceae (16), Brassicaceae (13), Solanaceae (12), Amaranthaceae (7), Cucurbitaceae (7), and Malvaceae (5). It is noteworthy that the large number of native weeds used by F. subterranea as host plants could represent a significant source of infestation of crops in the agricultural landscape.