Agrotis

Agrotis
Heart and Dart, Agrotis exclamationis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Subfamily: Noctuinae
Genus: Agrotis
Ochsenheimer, 1816
Species

See text

Synonyms
Agrotis clavis resting on a leaf.
Agrotis infusa, Australian moth known as "Bogong".

Agrotis is a genus of moths of the Noctuidae family. A number of the species of this genus are extinct.

Description

Eyes naked and without lashes. Proboscis well developed. Palpi obliquely porrect, where the second joint evenly scaled and third joint prominent. Thorax and abdomen without tufts. Abdomen somewhat flattened. Tibia very strongly spined. Fore wings with non-crenulate outer margin. Hind wings with veins 3 and 4 from cell.[1]

Ecology

Many of the species are of great importance as cutworms, major agricultural pests whose larvae hide by day and emerge at night to feed. The name cutworm refers to the habit of the larvae, of cutting down and partly eating garden and crop plants, especially seedlings.[2] Not all cutworms are in the genus Agrotis, though it may well be the genus that includes the largest number of cutworm species, and the most agriculturally important cutworm species.

The Bogong moth, itself a cutworm, also has been of importance as a seasonal food for humans, valued by indigenous Australians.

Species

Until recently placed here

References

  1. Hampson G. F. (1892). "The Fauna Of British India Including Ceylon And Burma Moths Vol-ii". Digital Library of India. p. 558. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  2. Smit, Bernard, "Insects in South Africa: How to Control them", Pub: Oxford University Press, Cape Town, 1964.
  3. Fauna hawaiiensis
  4. Zipcodezoo Agrotis melanoneura Archived March 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
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