Variegated Cutworm vs Variegated Grasshopper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Variegated Cutworm Variegated Grasshopper
Scientific Name Peridroma saucia Zonocerus variegatus
Order Lepidoptera Orthoptera
Family Noctuidae Pyrgomorphidae
Size 40-55 mm wingspan 30-50mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Seed Feeders Herbivores
Regions Worldwide Africa
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.

💡

Did You Know?

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

Variegated Grasshopper

A brightly colored grasshopper with striking patterns of yellow, green, black, and orange. It feeds on toxic plants and sequesters the toxins for defense. It forms large aggregations.

💡

Did You Know?

It deliberately eats toxic plants to make itself poisonous, and its bright colors warn predators of this.