Common looper

Description

Common looper is a widespread, medium sized moth. It occurs in the United States and southern Canada east of the Great Plains, and there are a few scattered records west to the Rocky Mountains. It does not occur in the deep south.

Common looper is found in a variety of habitats. One author lists only open habitats, including “fields, gardens, agricultural fields, waste places, and other open and early successional habitats.” Another author states that in North Carolina, “While we have some records from open habitats in the Piedmont, the majority of our records come from forested sites in the Mountains.”

Adults are active in Minnesota from May to October. The larvae are hosted by many low-growing herbaceous plants, including alfalfa, burdock, clover, common lambsquarters, dandelion, plantain, sunflower, vervain, and wild parsnip. They are an occasionally pest of garden plants, including cabbage and lettuce.

Adults are 11⁄16″ to ¾″ (18 to 20 mm) in length and have a 1 3⁄16″ to 1½″ (30 to 38 mm) wingspan. That is medium sized for a moth but fairly large for a looper moth (subfamily Plusiinae). Moth size is sometimes given in terms of forewing length, which in this case is 9⁄16″ to 11⁄16″ (14 to 18 mm).

The antennae on both sexes are thread-like. The collar is thin and reddish. A loose tuft of hair-like scales forms a tall crest on the thorax, and there is a similar but smaller tuft on the abdomen.

The background color of the forewings is gray but extensive dark reddish-brown mottling and poorly defined markings make the wings mostly dark. The stigma is silvery white, and it consists of two parts, an inner open loop, and an outer solid spot. The two spots are sometimes separated, but they are usually fused, comma shaped, partially separated by a broad inverted V-shaped area. The kidney-shaped spot in the lower median area (reniform spot) is surrounded by a thin white line that is often obscure. A shiny brassy area below the stigma and reniform spot extends to the inner margin.

The caterpillar is up to 1⅜″ (3.5 cm) long, green, and covered with minute spines (spinules). It appears scalloped when viewed from the side. The breathing pores (spiracles) are white. The line above the spiracles (spiracular line) is black above and white below, and it fades out after the sixth abdominal segment (A6). There is usually a shiny black spot above each spiracle on A1 through A4 or A6. The head is green with a black bar on each side.

Size

Total length: 11⁄16″ to ¾″ (18 to 20 mm)

Forewing length: 9⁄16″ to 11⁄16″ (14 to 18 mm)

Wingspan: 1 3⁄16″ to 1½″ (30 to 38 mm)

Similar Species

Habitat

Open and forested habitats

Ecology

Season

Three or more generations per year: May to October

Behavior

Life Cycle

Larva Food/Hosts

Many low-growing herbaceous plants, including alfalfa, burdock, cabbage, clover, common lambsquarters, dandelion, lettuce, plantain, sunflower, vervain, and wild parsnip

Adult Food