Moths of North Carolina

Scientific Name:	Common Name:		Family (Alpha): Choose a Family

Home

View PDF	Crambidae Members:	Spoladea Members:	125 NC Records

Spoladea recurvalis (Fabricius, 1794) - Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Pyraloidea

Family:
Crambidae

Subfamily:
Pyraustinae

Tribe:
Spilomelini

P3 Number:
80a1037

MONA Number:
5170.00

Other Common Names:
Beet Webworm Moth, Banded Sable

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Adult Markings: In this species the head, thorax, abdomen and forewing ground color are brown. The abdomen has a white band on each segment of variable width, with the one on the first segment broader and more pronounced than the others. The ground color of the forewing is overlain with whitish marks that include a thin, straight antemedial line that is often duller than the remining marks, and a broad median band that extends from the inner margin to the costa. There is also an abbreviated postmedial band that extends nearly perpendicular from the costa before ending a third way across the wing, and two small whitish dots just below and beyond the postmedial band. The fringe of the forewing is concolorous with that of the forewing except for a thin, dark brown basal line and two whitish spots in the sub-apical and sub-tornal regions. The hindwing ground is similar to that of the forewing, but often with a darker shade on the terminal half. It has a wide, white, median band that appear to connect to the median band on the forewing when the moth is resting. The fringe is mostly white except for a thin, dark brown, interrupted basal line.

This species resembles the Spotted Beet Webworm Moth (Hymenia perspectalis), but the latter has a much narrower median line that terminates near the middle of the wing.

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: Spoladea recurvalis is a major pest in many tropical and subtropical areas of the world and can cause the complete loss of Amaranthus and other crops during outbreak years, particularly where insecticides are not available. Females typically lay their eggs singly or in small masses on the lower leaf surface adjacent to veins. The hatchlings initially feed on the epidermis of the lower leaf surface and occasionally spin light webs as shelters. As they grow, they may either feed in the open or within a leaf tube or shelter. These are made by either rolling individual leaflets or leaves, or webbing several leaves together. Eventally all of the leaf is consumes except for the midrib. Aderolu et al. (2018) reported that females in Nigeria lay an average of 225 eggs. There are six instars, with the larval period lasting around 22 days, and the prepupal and pupal stages another 12 days. Pupation can occur within a rolled leaf or shelter, or on the soil surface.

The late instars have a pale yellowish to yellowish-brown head with many tiny brown spots. The body is bluish-green with a narrow blackish mid-dorsal line that is often narrowly bordered with white. A poorly defined broad dark stripe is often present dorsolaterally, while the lower sides are pale yellow.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Spoladea recurvalis is found worldwide, including southern Asia, Africa, North, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Australia, portions of southern Europe and Oceania. It has been documented in every state in the conterminous U.S., with the possible exceptions of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. It occurs in Canada from Manitoba and Ontario eastward to Nova Scotia and extreme southern Newfoundland. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina, except for the higher elevations in the Blue Ridge.

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Flight Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
Immature Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: In North America, the adults fly year-round in Florida and mostly from June through November farther north. As of 2023, our records extend from early-August through early December, with a seasonal peak typically in September and October.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records come from open habitats, including from xeric to more mesic residential areas. Specimens have also been observed in natural settings with good growths of herbaceous understory plants such as Longleaf Pine communities in the Sandhills, coastal dunes and scrub, and sand rim communities around natural lakes.

Larval Host Plants: This cosmopolitan species is polyphagous and feeds on a wide range of herbaceous species, particularly members of the Amaranthaceae and Chenopodiaceae, but also many other species that are associated with early successional habitats, disturbed sites, croplands and greenhouse operations. Examples of reported host species that occur in North Carolina include garden and crop species such as beets, broccoli, soybeans, sweet potatoes, corn, black-eyed peas, and garden tomatoes. Other species include Alternanthera, Smooth Pigweed (Amaranthus hybridus), Redroot Amaranth (A. retroflexus), Spiny Amaranth (A. spinosus), Lamb's-quarters (Chenopodium album), Eupatorium, Impatiens, mint (Mentha), Marvel-of-Peru (Mirabilis jalapa), and Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) (Tietz, 1972; Heppner, 2007; Robinson et al., 2010). The only confirmed native plant that we have a rearing record for in North Carolina is American Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to light and are occasionally seen nectaring on wildflowers.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Fields, Gardens, and Ruderal Habitats

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S5

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: This species has a cosmopolitan distribution and does not appear to be particularly associated with any native habitats in North Carolina.

Photo Gallery for Spoladea recurvalis - Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth

119 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-11-07 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-10-28 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-10-28 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-10-23 Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-22 Wilson Co. Comment: An aberrant phenotype?		Recorded by: G. Newman on 2025-10-15 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-09-25 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Sanford on 2025-09-02 Bertie Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-08-28 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-25 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-11-18 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-11-12 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-11-05 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2024-11-05 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-11-02 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-11-02 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-28 Pender Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-10-24 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-21 Wayne Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-08 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-06 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-10-04 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-25 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-14 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-12 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-09-09 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-31 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-16 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-08-12 Pamlico Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-14 Brunswick Co. Comment: