Black Donut Or Prodeni

Spodoptera littoralis, commonly known as the black donut or cutworm, is a lepidopteran of the Noctuidae family that affects various cultivated plants, including lettuce. Adults are dark brown nocturnal moths with lighter bands and a wingspan of approximately 40 mm. Females lay large quantities of eggs on the underside of leaves, in masses of up to 300 eggs, which hatch in a few days. The larvae are brown or dark gray, with light longitudinal lines along the body. These caterpillars go through six to seven larval stages and can reach up to 4 cm in length. During the night they feed on the leaves, stems and flowers of plants, while during the day they hide under the ground or among plant debris. After the last larval stage, the caterpillars burrow into the ground to pupate, emerging as adults in approximately two weeks. Spodoptera littoralis has a high reproductive capacity and can have several generations per year under favorable conditions, which facilitates its rapid propagation.