Cabbage worm

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The term cabbage worm is primarily used for any of three species of Lepidopteran whose larvae feed on cabbages and other cole crops. Host plants include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, radishes, turnips, rutabagas, and kohlrabi. This small group of similar pest species is known to agriculturists as the cabbage worm complex.

The imported cabbage worm (Pieris rapae or Artogeia rapae) is a caterpillar in the butterfly family Pieridae. It is has fine, short fuzz and is bright green in color. It prefers cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. The adult of the species is the small white, a common butterfly.

The cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) is a member of the moth family Noctuidae. The caterpillar is smooth and green with white stripes. It is called a "looper" because it arches its body as it crawls, inchworm-style. This species is very destructive to plants due to its voracious consumption of leaves. It is not restricted to cole crops; other plant hosts include tomato, cucumber, and potato. The adult of the species is a nocturnal brown moth.

The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella or, in some literature known by the synonym P. maculipennis) is a member of the moth family Plutellidae. The caterpillar is smooth and solid green in color. When disturbed, it thrashes and drops off the plant. The newly-emerged larva is a leaf miner, entering the tissues of the leaf and consuming the parenchyma between the two outer layers of the leaf. Larger larvae make holes through the leaf, consuming all the tissue. The adult of the species is a small, elongated gray moth with whitish spots on the forewings that form two diamond shapes when the moth is at rest. The diamondback moth is primarily a tropical species, but is migratory, reaching temperate zones in most years.

Other species of caterpillar that may be called "cabbage worm" include the cross-striped cabbageworm, corn earworm, cabbage webworm, , Gulf white cabbageworm, southern cabbageworm, as well as many cutworm species such as fall armyworm and beet armyworm.

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