Helicoverpa zea
TaxID: 7113
Basic Information
Helicoverpa zea
Bollworm, Corn Earworm, corn earworm
Helicoverpa zea, commonly known as the corn earworm, is a species (formerly in the genus Heliothis) in the family Noctuidae. The larva of the moth Helicoverpa zea is a major agricultural pest. Since it is polyphagous (feeds on many different plants) during the larval stage, the species has been given many different common names, including the cotton bollworm and the tomato fruitworm. It also consumes a wide variety of other crops. The species is widely distributed across the Americas with the exception of northern Canada and Alaska. It has become resistant to many pesticides, but can be controlled with integrated pest management techniques including deep ploughing, trap crops, chemical control using mineral oil, and biological controls. The species migrates seasonally, at night, and can be carried downwind up to 400 km. Pupae can make use of diapause to wait out adverse environmental conditions, especially at high latitudes and in drought.
from Wikipedia
Taxonomic Information
Eukaryota
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Helicoverpa
zea
nan
Species
nan
k__Eukaryota;p__Arthropoda;c__Insecta;o__Lepidoptera;f__Noctuidae;g__Helicoverpa;s__Helicoverpa zea
nan
Arthropods
Photos (5 photos)
Morphological Features
Adults are medium-sized moths with a wingspan of 32–45 mm. Forewings are yellowish-brown with reddish-brown, olive green, or gray markings and a small dark spot near the center; hindwings are creamy white at the base with a broad dark band near the margins . Larvae range in size from 1.5 mm (first instar) to 25 mm (sixth instar), with head typically orange or light brown bearing white net-like markings. Body color varies (brown, green, pink, yellow, or near black), with a broad dark lateral line above the spiracles and a light line below; a key diagnostic feature is the presence of black microscopic spines on the cuticle . Eggs are pale green when laid, turning yellow and darkening with age, flattened sphere-shaped with ridges radiating from the top-center . Pupae are mahogany brown, 17–22 mm long, found in the soil .
University of Georgia IPM Program. (2025). Corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea). Integrated Pest Management, University of Georgia Extension.
Host Plants (78 host plants)
Data sources: EPPO Global Database and relevant literature.
| Scientific Name | Status |
|---|---|
| Abelmoschus esculentus | Host |
| Abutilon theophrasti | Host |
| Acalypha ostryifolia | Host |
| Amaranthus | Host |
| Amaranthus palmeri | Host |
| Apium graveolens | Host |
| Arachis hypogaea | Host |
| Avena sativa | Host |
| Brassica oleracea | Host |
| Cajanus cajan | Host |
Quarantine Status (66 records)
Data sources: IPPC website and national quarantine websites; verified by human review.
| Country | Status | Year Added |
|---|---|---|
| Angola | Quarantine pests | — |
| Albania | Quarantine pests | — |
| Armenia | Absent | — |
| Austria | Quarantine pests | 2019 |
| Belgium | Unknow | 2019 |
| Bulgaria | Quarantine pests | 2019 |
| Bahrain | Quarantine pests | 2003 |
| Belarus | Absent | — |
| Switzerland | A1 list | 2019 |
| China | Quarantine pests | 2021 |
Distribution (52 countries)
Data Sources: EPPO Global Database and GBIF.
| Country | Status | State |
|---|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | Present | — |
| Argentina | Present | — |
| Australia | Present | — |
| Bahamas | Present | — |
| Bermuda | Present | — |
| Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | Present | — |
| Brazil | Present | |
| Barbados | Present | — |
| Canada | Present | |
| Switzerland | Absent | — |
Distribution Map (Latitude and longitude coordinates sourced from GBIF.)
Download CSVGenomes (3 records)
Data source: NCBI.
| Assembly Accession | Assembly Level | Genome Size(Mb) | Contig N50(Kb) | Scaffold N50(Kb) | BUSCO% | Downloads | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCF_022581195.2 | Chromosome | - | - | - | - | - |
|
|
ilHelZeax1.1 |
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| GCA_022343045.1 | Chromosome | - | - | - | - | - |
|
|
ASM2234304v1 |
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| GCA_002150865.1 | Scaffold | 341 | 20 | 201 | - |
|
|
|
Hzea_1.0 |
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Transcriptomes (3 records)
Data source: NCBI.
| Run ID | Tissue | Developmental Stage | Sex | Read Count | Location | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRR16121626 | Midgut | 3rd Instar Larva | - | 3831233 | - | |
|
PRJNA767434 SRX12407122 SRP339373 insect RNA-Seq of Helicoverpa zea GA-RS-LL R1 RNA-Seq from ZYMO DirectZOL extraction of dissected larva midgut. Library created at UAGC. GA-RS {'tissue': 'Midgut', 'isolate': 'GA-RS', 'dev_stage': '3rd Instar Larva', 'replicate': '1', 'bt_resistance': 'K12 allele absent', 'biosamplemodel': 'Invertebrate', 'collection_date': '2020-10', 'isolation_source': 'Lab cross line'} |
||||||
| SRR16121625 | Midgut | 3rd Instar Larva | - | 70880903 | - | |
|
PRJNA767434 SRX12407123 SRP339373 insect RNA-Seq of Helicoverpa zea GA-RS-LL R2 RNA-Seq from ZYMO DirectZOL extraction of dissected larva midgut. Library produced with KAPA Stranded mRNA Kit GA-RS {'tissue': 'Midgut', 'isolate': 'GA-RS', 'dev_stage': '3rd Instar Larva', 'replicate': '2', 'bt_resistance': 'K12 allele absent', 'biosamplemodel': 'Invertebrate', 'collection_date': '2020-10', 'isolation_source': 'Lab cross line'} |
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| SRR16121624 | Midgut | 3rd Instar Larva | - | 3411560 | - | |
|
PRJNA767434 SRX12407124 SRP339373 insect RNA-Seq of Helicoverpa zea GA-RS-LL R2 RNA-Seq from ZYMO DirectZOL extraction of dissected larva midgut. Library created at UAGC. GA-RS {'tissue': 'Midgut', 'isolate': 'GA-RS', 'dev_stage': '3rd Instar Larva', 'replicate': '2', 'bt_resistance': 'K12 allele absent', 'biosamplemodel': 'Invertebrate', 'collection_date': '2020-10', 'isolation_source': 'Lab cross line'} |
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DNA Barcodes (402 records)
View allData source: BOLD.
| Process ID | BIN | Marker | Length | Country | Date | Lat/Lon | Sequence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XAH731-05 | BOLD:ABZ5815 | COI-5P | 658 | Canada | 2005-10-03 | 43.537, -80.134 | |
| XAH369-05 | BOLD:ABZ5815 | COI-5P | 658 | Canada | 2005-09-08 | 43.537, -80.134 | |
| XAD496-04 | BOLD:ABZ5815 | COI-5P | 573 | Canada | 2002-10-01 | 43.537, -80.134 | |
| XAD468-04 | BOLD:ABZ5815 | COI-5P | 572 | Canada | 2002-09-21 | 43.537, -80.134 | |
| USLEP387-10 | BOLD:ABZ5815 | COI-5P | 658 | United States | 2010-04-11 | 29.78983, -98.42018 | |
| TXLEP706-19 | BOLD:ABZ5815 | COI-5P | 614 | United States | 2019-04-28 | 29.6822, -100.029 | |
| SPMIS208-22 | BOLD:ABZ5815 | COI-5P | 658 | - | - | - | |
| SILEP142-22 | BOLD:ABZ5815 | COI-5P | 653 | Canada | 2020-08-26 | 43.933, -60.031 | |
| SENTO957-18 | BOLD:ABZ5815 | COI-5P | 658 | Peru | 2017-05-09 | -13.0386, -76.3829 | |
| SENTO683-17 | BOLD:ABZ5815 | COI-5P | 658 | Peru | 2017-05-08 | -13.0386, -76.3829 |
Literature
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