corn earworm

corn earworm or cotton bollworm, destructive larva of a moth, Heliothis zea. Also known as tomato fruitworm, the larva attacks a variety of crops, boring into and feeding on the developing fruits—tomatoes, corn kernels, or cotton bolls. The adult moth is pale yellow. It is classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Lepidoptera, family Noctuidae.

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corn earworm

 or cotton bollworm or tomato fruitworm

Moth larva (Heliothis zea, family Noctuidae) that damages corn, tomato, cotton, and other seasonal crops. The smooth, fleshy, green or brown caterpillars feed on corn kernels near the tip of the ear and burrow into tomatoes and cotton bolls. Four or five generations of the pale brown adult moths, with wingspans of 1.3 in. (3.5 cm), are produced annually.