Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Western Yellowstriped Armyworm
Spodoptera praefica (Grote, 1875)


Family: Noctuidae
Subfamily: Noctuinae
Identification: Adult: forewing variably grayish-brown to yellowish-brown with pale scaling along veins; oblique yellowish shade line extends across orbicular spot toward PM line; basal, AM, PM, and ST lines irregular, pale yellow or white; hindwing pale gray with dark veins and discal lunule, thin dark terminal line, and white fringe Larva: head black with inverted white Y shape on front; body black with prominent white or yellow dorsolateral line; 3 stripes along each side - a gray one near the top, a black one below that, and a reddish-brown one below that.
Wing Span: 3.5-4.0 cm
Life History:
Flight: March and April, and again in August and September
Caterpillar Hosts: leaves of crops such as alfalfa, potato, rice, sugarbeet, and sweet potato, plus various other herbaceous plants
Adult Food:
Habitat:
Range: British Columbia to California, east to Utah, north to Alberta
Conservation:
NCGR:
Management Needs: