Sod-webworm
Guides
Chrysoteuchia
sod webworms, cranberry girdlers
Chrysoteuchia is a genus of Crambidae moths containing approximately 36 species worldwide, with exceptional diversity in China (33 species). The genus exhibits a Palearctic, Sino-Japanese, and Oriental distribution pattern. Species are strongly associated with humid to semi-humid environments and show cold tolerance with humidity-dependent distribution patterns. The cranberry girdler (C. topiarius) is a notable pest of cool-season turfgrasses, cranberries, and fir in North America.
Crambus
sod webworm moth, crambid snout moth
Crambus is a genus of approximately 155 species of crambid moths distributed globally. Adults are small snout moths with elongated labial palps, while larvae are known as sod webworms—significant pests of turfgrass and pasture grasses. The genus exhibits considerable variation in life history strategies, with some species bivoltine and others univoltine. Larval feeding damage is most pronounced during drought conditions and in closely mown turf.
Crambus tutillus
sod webworm
Crambus tutillus is a sod webworm moth in the family Crambidae, described by McDunnough in 1921. It is univoltine with a life cycle tightly regulated by photoperiod and temperature. Larvae develop through nine instars, overwintering as diapausing eighth instars, with adults emerging in mid-May and reproducing through June and July. The species exhibits an unusual adaptive response where early instar growth rates increase as daylength decreases, synchronizing development with seasonal food availability.
Fissicrambus
Grass-veneers
Fissicrambus is a genus of grass-veneer moths in the family Crambidae, established by Bleszynski in 1963. The genus contains approximately 17 described species distributed primarily in North America. Several species, notably F. mutabilis, are recognized as agricultural pests of turfgrass, wheat, and corn. Larvae are commonly known as sod webworms due to their habit of constructing silk-lined burrows in soil.
Herpetogramma
grass webworms, sod webworms
Herpetogramma is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae, comprising approximately 106 species distributed across North America, Eurasia, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America. Larvae of most species are associated with grasses and related plants, with several species recognized as agricultural or turf pests. The genus was established by Julius Lederer in 1863.
Herpetogramma phaeopteralis
dusky herpetogramma moth, tropical sod webworm, dark sod webworm
Herpetogramma phaeopteralis is a small crambid moth with a wingspan of approximately 18 mm, originally described by Guenée in 1854. It is known by multiple common names including dusky herpetogramma moth, tropical sod webworm, and dark sod webworm. The species has an exceptionally broad geographic distribution spanning multiple continents. Larvae feed on grass leaves, and the species is occasionally referenced in turfgrass pest management and biological control research.