Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #177238
Title: The Plusiinae of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Author
item Pogue, Michael

Submitted to: Zootaxa
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/28/2005
Publication Date: 8/8/2005
Citation: Pogue, M.G. 2005. The Plusiinae of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Zootaxa. 1032:1-28.

Interpretive Summary: Cutworm moths are major agricultural pests causing billions of dollars of damage annually. The looper moths are pests on numerous crops such as cabbage, soybeans, alfalfa, lettuce, and many other vegetable crops. This paper documents the species of looper moths for Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). New records and distributional data for GSMNP are presented. This information will be useful for the biological inventory being conducted in GSMNP, educational programs within GSMNP, and for land management decisions within the park.

Technical Abstract: Currently 17 species of Plusiinae occur in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These species are documented with adult images, description/diagnosis, flight period, park distribution, abundance, elevational range, general distribution, and larval hosts. Sixteen of the 17 species occur above 4,000 feet in elevation. The most diverse locality was in the vicinity of Purchase Knob, Haywood Co., North Carolina, with 14 species.