Chrysodeixis argentifera

Tobacco looper
Female
Male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Chrysodeixis
Species:
C. argentifera
Binomial name
Chrysodeixis argentifera
(Guenée, 1852)
Synonyms
  • Plusia argentifera Guenée, 1852
  • Plusia secundaria Walker, [1858]
  • Phytometra argentifera (Guenée, 1852)

Chrysodeixis argentifera, the tobacco looper, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Australia and New Zealand.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1852 and originally named Plusia argentifera.

Description

The wingspan is c. 30 mm.

Distribution

This species can be found in Australia and is regarded as a regular visitor that periodically establishes itself in New Zealand.

Hosts and habitat

The larvae feed on various plants, including sunflower, canola, tomato, various beans and silver beet.

References

  1. ↑ "Chrysodeixis argentifera (Gueneeb, 1852)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
  2. ↑ Dugdale, John Stewart (1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. 14: 213. doi:10.7931/j2/fnz.14. Wikidata Q45083134.
  3. ↑ Boisduval, Jean Alphonse; Guenée, Achille (1836), Histoire naturelle des insectes; spécies général des lépidoptères (in French), vol. 6, Paris: Roret, pp. 352–353, doi:10.5962/bhl.title.9194, LCCN agr03000771, OCLC 5505272, Wikidata Q28315548 {{Cite Q}}: Missing first/last names in Wikidata for Boisduval, Jean Alphonse  (help) BHL page 33923819
  4. ↑ Australia, Atlas of Living. "Species: Chrysodeixis argentifera (Tobacco Looper Moth)". bie.ala.org.au. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  5. ↑ Fox, Kenneth John (1978). "The Transoceanic Migration of Lepidoptera to New Zealand — A History and a Hypothesis on Colonisation". New Zealand Entomologist. 6 (4): 368–380. doi:10.1080/00779962.1978.9722295. Wikidata Q105737852.
  6. ↑ "Tobacco Looper (Chrysodeixis argentifera)". www.ozanimals.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.