Spodoptera is a genus of moths of the family Noctuidae erected by Achille Guenée in 1852. Many are known as pest insects. The larvae are sometimes called armyworms. The roughly thirty species are distributed across six continents.
Description
No tufts behind collar as in Euplexia, but only tufts present on metathorax. Scales much smoother. Abdominal tufts slight. Fore tibial tufts are very developed. Cilia slightly crenulated. Antennae almost simple.
Species
Spodoptera abyssinia Guenée, 1852
Spodoptera albula (Walker, 1857) (orth. var. S. albulum) Spodoptera androgea (Stoll, [1782]) Spodoptera angulata (Gaede, 1935) Spodoptera apertura (Walker, 1865) Spodoptera cilium Guenée, 1852 – grasslawn armyworm Spodoptera compta (Walker, 1869) Spodoptera connexa (Wileman, 1914) Spodoptera depravata (Butler, 1879) Spodoptera dolichos (Fabricius, 1794) – sweet potato armyworm Spodoptera eridania (Cramer) – southern armyworm Spodoptera evanida Schaus, 1914 Spodoptera excelsa Rougeot & Laporte, 1983 Spodoptera exempta (Walker, [1857]) – African armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Hübner, [1808]) – beet armyworm Spodoptera fasciculata (Berio, 1973) Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797) – fall armyworm Spodoptera hipparis (Druce, 1889) Spodoptera latifascia (Walker, 1856) – velvet armyworm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval, 1833) – African cotton leafworm Spodoptera litura (Fabricius, 1775) – Oriental leafworm moth Spodoptera malagasy Viette, 1967 Spodoptera marima (Schaus, 1904) syn. S. ornithogalli below Spodoptera mauritia (Boisduval, 1833) – lawn armyworm Spodoptera ochrea (Hampson, 1909) Spodoptera ornithogalli (Guenée, 1852) – yellow-striped armyworm Spodoptera pecten Guenée, 1852 Spodoptera pectinicornis (Hampson, 1895) – water-lettuce moth Spodoptera peruviana (Walker, 1865) Spodoptera picta (Guérin-Méneville, [1838]) Spodoptera praefica (Grote, 1875) – western yellowstriped armyworm Spodoptera pulchella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1868) – Caribbean armyworm Spodoptera roseae (Schaus, 1923) Spodoptera semiluna (Hampson, 1909) Spodoptera teferii Laporte, 194 Spodoptera triturata (Walker, [1857]) Spodoptera umbraculata (Walker, 1858)