About Spodoptera eridania Stoll
Spodoptera eridania, commonly known as the Southern armyworm, is a moth species that is a known pest. It is one of the most important defoliators in tropical and subtropical regions of the western hemisphere. Young larvae feed heavily on plants, often leaving the food plant's leaves skeletonized. This species is also known to feed heavily on tomato crops in Florida, U.S. Much development work has gone into creating pesticides targeting S. eridania; specifically, neem-based pesticides can cause reduced larval size and prolonged development for this species. The adult moth has a wingspan of 33 to 38 mm. Adults can be found in flight year-round. The larvae feed on a wide variety of weeds, but prefer species from the Amaranthus genus and Phytolacca americana. Spodoptera eridania is naturally distributed from southern U.S. states in North America, extending west as far as Kansas and New Mexico, through the Caribbean and Central America, and into South America as far south as Brazil and Argentina. It has been introduced to Nigeria and Cameroon. In Florida, the species produces an estimated four generations per year. In northern Florida, adult moths are present throughout the entire year and can survive several days of freezing temperatures. In contrast, larvae of S. eridania are only found in northern Florida during the summer months, a pattern consistent with most other insect species. A single full generation of Spodoptera eridania takes approximately 30 to 40 days to complete.
