Introduction: Recently, a specimen of Chrysodeixis chalcites (Esper), the golden twin spot, was found on Pelargonium (geraniums) in a greenhouse in Ohio. This pest is not known to be established in the United States. The above photos illustrate the adult (Fig. 1 and 2) and the larva (Fig. 3) to aid in recognition of this potential pest.
Common name: golden twin spot; tomato looper; green garden looper. The first name is favored because it calls attention to the distinctive adult coloration.
Feeding damage and recognition: Eggs are laid one at a time or in small groups on a wide range of substrates. Larvae will often drop from the leaf and hang on a silken thread when disturbed. Early instar larvae are leaf skeletonizers which means that they eat only a portion of the leaf to form an irregular network of minute clear areas. Later instars eat the entire leaf, at most leaving the midrib, or other veins. Larvae move like inch-worms, looping along, because they appear to have only two abdominal prolegs. They may also move back and forth in an arc before moving forward, almost as if they were "testing" each area before walking again. Pupae are green with a brown dorsum, or are totally brown, and are usually attached to the underside of leaves or any suitable substrate in a silken cocoon. Adults rest with the wings folded over their back in a "tentlike" (Fig. 2) arrangement. The adult ofC. chalcites is relatively easy to screen for in trap samples. The forewing has two silver spots, or stigma, which are oval and subequal in size (Fig. 1 and 2). The ground color of the forewing is usually gold, hence the common name golden twin spot is very appropriate. A few specimens may show a bronze-colored forewing but the twin spots are still present. The soybean looper is most likely to be confused with C. chalcites but the male genitalia are very different.
Hosts: A very general feeder on many weeds and crops. Major agricultural crop hosts include tobacco, tomato, cotton, Cruciferae, legumes, corn, soybeans, potatoes, artichokes, greenhouse crops, and cauliflower. Geranium is also recorded as a host plant.
Distribution: southern Europe, Canary Islands, Africa, Mauritius, and Cape Verde Islands.
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