Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
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Sole representative of Plutellidae in NC
221 NC Records

Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus, 1758) - Diamondback Moth

Plutella xylostellaPlutella xylostellaPlutella xylostella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Yponomeutoidea		 Family:
Plutellidae		Subfamily:
[Plutellinae]		Tribe:
[Plutellini]		P3 Number:
36a0180		 MONA Number:
2366.00		 Other Common Names:
Cabbage Moth, Lesser Cabbage Moth
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Plutella xylostella
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species is an important crop pest, feeding on cabbage and other cultivated Brassicaceae
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed primarily on members of the Brassicaceae, including virtually all cultivated species; records also exist from a few other families (Robinson et al., 2010) - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNA
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Probably introduced from Europe but long-established in North America. As both an exotic species and as an agricultural pest, it does not have any concerns with regard to its conservation. Experimental approaches to control (or eliminate) populations of this species using release of genetically modified males are currently being conducted and the results should be closely monitored. With the potential to extinguish any targeted species -- which could include native "pest" species -- decisions about applying this technology need to be evaluated by ecologists, conservation organizations, and informed citizen groups in addition to governmental oversight agencies.

 Photo Gallery for Plutella xylostella - Diamondback Moth

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

Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-12-17
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-12-08
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-11-18
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-11-18
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-10-18
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-10-18
Macon Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-14
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-23
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther on 2024-05-18
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-09
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2024-04-29
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-24
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-19
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-04-10
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-04-09
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-04-06
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-03-31
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-03-27
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-03-23
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-03-17
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-03-17
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-03-15
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-03-15
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2024-03-13
Bladen Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-03-08
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-03-07
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-03-03
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-03-03
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-02-14
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-11-19
Durham Co.
Comment: