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CBP Inspection Aid

This guide about the Cotton Bollworm (a.k.a. Old World bollworm) is designed for CBP Ag Specialists conducting port inspections. It covers distribution, commodities affected and their signs/symptoms of damage, and features images and port inspection notes. Click “Gallery” in top menu for a filterable image gallery.

Image Gallery

Wagner, W.

The current name of this moth is Helicoverpa armigera, the cotton bollworm or Old World bollworm. This website contains very general information about host plants and life cycle. There are many images of the insect as a larva and adult.

Screening Aid/Fact Sheet/Pest Alert

This card about OWB (Helicoverpa armigera) has images highlighting distinguishing characteristics and describes what signs on hosts to look for.  Available in Spanish.

Screening Aid/Fact Sheet/Pest Alert

This fact sheet for Helicoverpa armigera (cotton bolloworm or Old World bollworm) is from the fact sheet collection in LepIntercept, a USDA APHIS PPQ ITP tool. It features high-quality photos of larvae you can enlarge to see character details. Four tabs offer both an overview and detailed information, as well as “Interception Records” and a “Setal Map.” Select “Keys” from the top menu to use a Lucid key to 41 intercepted larvae, or choose from a set of dichotomous keys for advanced users.

Screening Aid/Fact Sheet/Pest Alert, Wiki

This fact sheet about the Old World bollworm covers its taxonomy, identification, biology, and hosts and includes photos. A BugwoodWiki site.

Screening Aid/Fact Sheet/Pest Alert

Hosts of the Old World bollworm include corn, cotton, small grains, soybeans, peppers, and tomatoes.  This alert describes the pest, its life cycle, similar-looking species, host signs and symptoms, and includes photographs.  Available in Spanish.

Screening Aid/Fact Sheet/Pest Alert

This screening aid provides images of an adult moth with information about diagnostic features.

Journal Article

This research paper discusses the use of simple sequence repeats (SSR) to study genetic variability in the cotton bollworm (Old World bollworm). It includes images of caterpillars on a variety of hosts.

Journal Article

Pogue MG. 2004. A new synonym of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and differentiation of adult males of H. zea and H. armigera (Hübner). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 97 (6): 1222-1226.

Abstract: The taxonomic history of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) is discussed. Heliothis stombleri Okumura and Bauer is a new synonym of H. zea. The best diagnostic characters occur in the vesica of the male genitalia. These include (1) number of diverticula at the base, (2) length and number of coils, (3) number of cornuti visible on the uninflated vesica inside the aedoeagus, and (4) valve length. All diagnostic characters are described and shown. Methods for examining large samples of H. zea for possible H. armigera include placing the entire sample into suitable containers of 10% KOH for 18-24 h and dissecting the genitalia and measuring the valve length. It was found that H. zea had a longer mean valve length than H. armigera, but there was some overlap. Specimens whose valve length was <5.0 mm were examined for the diagnostic characters present on the vesica.

This research paper provides information about examining large samples of Helicoverpa zea (corn earworms) for possible Helicoverpa armigera (Old World bollworms) and for identification by dissection of the genitalia and by valve length measurements.

Screening Aid/Fact Sheet/Pest Alert

This document discusses Helicoverpa punctigera (Australian bollworm, native budworm) and Helicoverpa armigera (Old World bollworm, cotton bollworm). It includes descriptions, images, and management information.

Journal Article

This bulletin is in Spanish and English. It includes an article in English by Allan H. Smith-Pardo on the Old World bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) with identification information and photographs comparing anatomical features to those of Helicoverpa zea. There is also a report in Spanish describing new species of Passillidae beetle, Verres schoolmeestersi, by Luis Carlos Pardo-Locarno with a key to the genus, and a report on beetles in the family Melolonthidae by Maria Eugenia Tabares Duque, Diana Carolina Nivia and Francisco Cristobal Yepes.

Key, PPQ Inspection Aid | PDF

Passoa SC. 2014. Key to the identification of Helicoverpa armiigera suspects intercepted at U.S. ports of entry. 5 pp.In: Gilligan TM and Passoa SC. LepIntercept, An identification resource for intercepted Lepidoptera larvae. USDA-APHIS-PPQ-S&T Identification Technology Program (ITP)

Key to the intercepted species of Helicoverpa. Another version of this key with a simplified introduction is available in the LepIntercept identification tool, a USDA-APHIS-PPQ ITP tool.

Fact Sheet Collection

This web page provides fact sheets for pests of soybeans with identification information, images, United States risk maps, CAPS approved diagnostic method information and information about other diagnostic methods.

Screening Aid/Fact Sheet/Pest Alert

This poster contains information about non-target species of moths similar in appearance to target species of concern in Florida. There are a number of images, including dissection images.

Fact Sheet Collection

This webpage provides fact sheets for a number of cotton pests with identification information, images, United States risk maps, CAPS approved diagnostic method, and other information.

Fact Sheet Collection

This webpage covers CAPS approved survey methods and provides links to fact sheets for a number of corn pests with identification information, images, United States risk maps, CAPS approved diagnostic method information and information about other diagnostic methods.

Key, Taxonomic Description

Passoa S. 2014. Identification guide to larval Heliothinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of quarantine significance. 20 pp. In: Gilligan TM and Passoa SC. LepIntercept, An identification resource for intercepted Lepidoptera larvae. USDA-APHIS-PPQ-S&T Identification Technology Program (ITP).

A preliminary key to Heliothinae larvae of quarantine significance is presented emphasizing morphology, hosts, and origins. The key includes commonly intercepted species and potential pests likely to be intercepted because of their broad host range or distribution. When the present state of our knowledge does not allow species level recognition, the key uses host and origin to give the best possible identification. This information is valuable for pest risk assessments and identification authority. Developed with the LepIntercept identification tool, a USDA APHIS PPQ ITP tool.

Image Gallery

The species shown here on the Oregon iMapInvasives check list are considered invasive or potentially invasive in Oregon. Many of these species have yet to appear in Oregon, and many others are being treated and managed every day. This list is hosted by iNaturalist and curated and managed by iMap project. Click on the image to see more details about the pest or change the view to show taxonomy by clicking tab at top of page.

Key, PPQ Inspection Aid

Passoa SC. 2014. Key to frequently named Lepidopteran larvae intercepted, or potentially encountered, at U.S. ports, 35 pp. In: Gilligan TM and Passoa SC. LepIntercept, An identification resource for intercepted Lepidoptera larvae. USDA-APHIS-PPQ-S&T Identification Technology Program (ITP)

This key is designed to identify the most frequently named Lepidoptera at United States ports of entry as of 2013. Because many species cannot be named (early instars or poorly studied groups), it is not a given that this key has all the most frequently intercepted taxa. Some genera may regularly intercepted but unrecognized. The huge variety of early instar Noctuidae/Erebidae is a good example of this problem. There are many other taxa in this category. Trade patterns are constantly changing over time; users should expect a need to delete or add species to this key in the future. Developed with USDA-APHIS-PPQ, available from LepIntercept, a USDA APHIS PPQ ITP tool.

Chilo partellus (syn. Chilo zonellus)
Chloridea subflexa (syn. Heliothis subflexa)
Cupido comyntas (syn. Everes comyntas)
Ectomyelois ceratoniae (syn. Apomyelois ceratoniae)

Diaphania hyalinata-indica species complex.

Fact Sheet Collection, Host-Based Search or Focus

Created in association with the USDA and Russian plant protection organizations, this site is also available in Russian. It includes crops and wild relatives, weeds, and pests (all indexed by taxonomy) and diseases (indexed by commodity), with descriptions, images, and distribution maps. Images of pests of concern include: pear leaf blister moth (Leucoptera malifoliella), summer fruit tortrix moth (Adoxophyes orana), Old World bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum).