Degree-day-phenology
Guides
Euxoa ochrogaster
red-backed cutworm, red-backed cutworm moth
Euxoa ochrogaster, the red-backed cutworm, is a Noctuidae moth with a Holarctic distribution spanning Iceland, northern Europe, and North America from Alaska to Newfoundland and south to Arizona and New Mexico. Adults are active from late July to early September, with flight phenology tied to accumulated degree-days above 12.5°C. The larvae are generalist feeders on broad-leaved plants and grasses, including Plantago species, and are economically significant as pests of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in North America. Laboratory studies indicate eggs possess a moderately severe diapause terminated more quickly at 5°C, with development rates varying inversely with temperature.