Description

Adult

Wingspan of 36-42 mm. Forewings bluish-grey to black or lighter purple grey with darker mottling, a silver-white stigma with long lateral part and a patch of chestnut brown near the outer edge of the stigma.

Larvae

Up to 25 mm long, smooth with only two pairs of abdominal prolegs. Abdomen green with a thin white lateral line. Head green.

Eggs

Round white to cream coloured, laid singly on the under surface of leaves.

Distribution

Throughout Europe, parts of Asia and has now been introduced to Northern America.

Economic Host(s)

A range of crops including peas, sugarbeet, alfalfa, beans and spinach.

Symptoms/Signs

Larvae feed on leaves producing ragged edged holes in the leaf and on the leaf margins. The major damage is caused by later instars attacking the inner heads of crops.

Generations:

Generations: 3-4