corn earworm

corn earworm
/ear"werrm'/
the larva of a cosmopolitan noctuid moth, Heliothis zea, that is highly destructive to crops, esp. corn, cotton, and tomato. Also called bollworm, cotton bollworm, tomato fruitworm.
[1795-1805, Amer.]

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or cotton bollworm or tomato fruitworm

Moth larva (Heliothis zea, family Noctuidae) that damages corn, tomato, cotton, and other seasonal crops.

The smooth, fleshy, green or brown caterpillars feed on corn kernels near the tip of the ear and burrow into tomatoes and cotton bolls. Four or five generations of the pale brown adult moths, with wingspans of 1.3 in. (3.5 cm), are produced annually.

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insect
also called  cotton bollworm  or  tomato fruitworm 
 larva of the moth Heliothis zea (in some classifications H. armigera; family Noctuidae). The smooth, fleshy green or brown caterpillars are serious crop pests before they pupate in the soil. Four or five generations of the pale brown adult moths (wingspan 3.5 cm [about 11/3 inches]) are produced annually. The larvae feed largely on corn (maize), especially the small kernels at the tips of the ears, and also damage tomatoes, cotton, and other seasonal crops.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • corn earworm — ☆ corn earworm [ir′wʉrm΄ ] n. the larva of a noctuid moth (Heliothis zea), that feeds on corn ears and other crops …   English World dictionary

  • Corn earworm — may refer to: Helicoverpa armigera Helicoverpa zea This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link t …   Wikipedia

  • corn earworm — corn′ ear worm [[t]ˈɪərˌwɜrm[/t]] n. ent the larva of a noctuid moth, Heliothis zea, that is a pest of corn ears, cotton bolls, and other crops …   From formal English to slang

  • corn earworm — noun Date: 1802 a noctuid moth (Helicoverpa zea syn. Heliothis zea) whose large striped yellow headed larva is especially destructive to Indian corn, tomatoes, tobacco, and cotton bolls …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • corn earworm — noun larva of a noctuid moth; highly destructive to especially corn and cotton and tomato crops • Syn: ↑cotton bollworm, ↑tomato fruitworm, ↑tobacco budworm, ↑vetchworm, ↑Heliothis zia • Hypernyms: ↑bollworm …   Useful english dictionary

  • corn earworm — /kɔn ˈɪəwɜm/ (say kawn earwerm) noun US the larva of a noctuid moth, Heliothis armigera, destructive to maize, cotton and other plants; bollworm …  

  • corn — corn1 /kawrn/, n. 1. Also called Indian corn; esp. technical and Brit., maize. a tall cereal plant, Zea mays, cultivated in many varieties, having a jointed, solid stem and bearing the grain, seeds, or kernels on large ears. 2. the grain, seeds,… …   Universalium

  • earworm — ear·worm (îrʹwûrm ) n. See corn earworm. * * * …   Universalium

  • earworm — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun : any of certain larval insects (as the corn earworm) that feed in the developing maize ear …   Useful english dictionary

  • earworm — n. tune or melody or song that gets stuck in a person s mind and the person repeats it over and over in his/her head; moth larva that eats corn …   English contemporary dictionary

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