Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Arctiidae, Agrotidae, and Pyralidae of Guam
Author
Swezey, O. H.
Experiment Station Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association, Honolulu
text
1946
1942-12-20
Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin 189
Honolulu, Hawaii
Insects of Guam II
163
185
book chapter
http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5165313
058b438a-ffe3-452b-a286-9267419b3014
5165313
5.
Spodoptera mauritia
(Boisduval)
.
Hadena mauritia
Boisduval
,
Nouv. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris
2
(
2
):
240
,
1833
.
Spodoptera mauritia,
Hampson
,
Fauna Brit.
India
, Moths
2
:
248
,
1894
.
Piti, at light, May 9, 13, August 8, 9, 12, 13, 17, 18, Sept. 4, 7, 16, 24, Oct. 18, Nov. 26, Swezey; Sasa, Sept. 3, reared from larvae and pupae in rice seedling plots, Swezey; Piti, May 12, reared from larva on grass, Swezey; Sept. 111 reared from an egg cluster found on porch screen; Oct. 6, reared from larvae and pupae under stones in pasture; Oct. 25, reared from egg cluster on rose bush, Swezey.
An ichneumonid,
Echthromorpha conopleura
Krieger
, was reared from pupae of this moth.
This moth has a wide distribution in the Old World tropics and the islands of the Pacific. For a long time it was supposed to be present i.n
Hawaii
, where it had become known as the nutgrass armyworm, and sometimes severely injured cane fields which were infested with nutgrass. Recently, however, the correct name for the pest in
Hawaii
was determined as
Laphygma
e.xempta
(Walker), which has much the same geographical distribution and habits as
Spodoptera mauritia
.
Fullaway reared
Spodoptera mauritia
from
Bermuda
grass in 1911. In more recent years it has been known as a rice pest, often becoming numerous in the rice fields, or in the seedling beds. Eggs were abundantly laid on under side of leaves of rose bushes in lawn at our residence. The caterpillars, never numerous, did not feed on the rose but ate several kinds of grass. Some of the caterpillars hatching from eggs were fed to maturity on grass. The caterpillars are very similar to those of
Laphygma
e.xempta
in Hawaii. The
Teien~ omus
nawai
from Honolulu became established on the
Spodoptera
eggs, as well as on
Prodenia
eggs.