Spodoptera mauritia (Boisduval)

Swezey, O. H., 1946, Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Arctiidae, Agrotidae, and Pyralidae of Guam, Insects of Guam II, Honolulu, Hawaii: Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin 189, pp. 163-185 : 167

5. Spodoptera mauritia (Boisduval) .

Hadena mauritia Boisduval, Nouv. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 2 (2): 240, 1833.

Spodoptera mauritia, Hampson, Fauna Brit. India, Moths 2: 248, 1894.

Piti , at light, May 9, 13, August 8, 9, 12, 13, 17, 18, Sept. 4, 7, 16, 24, Oct. 18, Nov. 26, Swezey; Sasa , Sept. 3, reared from larvae and pupae in rice seedling plots, Swezey; Piti , May 12, reared from larva on grass, Swezey; Sept . 111 reared from an egg cluster found on porch screen; Oct. 6, reared from larvae and pupae under stones in pasture; Oct. 25, reared from egg cluster on rose bush, Swezey.

An ichneumonid, Echthromorpha conopleura Krieger , was reared from pupae of this moth.

This moth has a wide distribution in the Old World tropics and the islands of the Pacific. For a long time it was supposed to be present i.n Hawaii, where it had become known as the nutgrass armyworm, and sometimes severely injured cane fields which were infested with nutgrass. Recently, however, the correct name for the pest in Hawaii was determined as Laphygma e.xempta (Walker), which has much the same geographical distribution and habits as Spodoptera mauritia .

Fullaway reared Spodoptera mauritia from Bermuda grass in 1911. In more recent years it has been known as a rice pest, often becoming numerous in the rice fields, or in the seedling beds. Eggs were abundantly laid on under side of leaves of rose bushes in lawn at our residence. The caterpillars, never numerous, did not feed on the rose but ate several kinds of grass. Some of the caterpillars hatching from eggs were fed to maturity on grass. The caterpillars are very similar to those of Laphygma e.xempta in Hawaii. The Teien~ omus nawai from Honolulu became established on the Spodoptera eggs, as well as on Prodenia eggs.