Variegated Cutworm vs Indian Green Lacewing

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Variegated Cutworm Indian Green Lacewing
Scientific Name Peridroma saucia Chrysoperla zastrowi
Order Lepidoptera Neuroptera
Family Noctuidae Chrysopidae
Size 40-55 mm wingspan 13-19 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Seed Feeders Predators
Regions Worldwide India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Variegated Cutworm

A mottled brown moth whose plump soil-dwelling caterpillars cut through stems of seedlings at ground level. It attacks a very wide range of vegetables and field crops.

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Did You Know?

A single caterpillar can cut down several seedlings in one night, often felling far more plants than it actually eats.

Indian Green Lacewing

A green lacewing commonly found across the Indian subcontinent. Widely studied for biocontrol of cotton and rice pests.

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Did You Know?

It is mass-reared in Indian laboratories for release in cotton fields as a biological control agent.