About Chrysodeixis includens Walker
Chrysodeixis includens, commonly called the soybean looper, is a moth species belonging to the family Noctuidae. In north-eastern Mexico, it is known by the common name falso medidor. This species is distributed from southern Quebec and southern Ontario, through the eastern and southern United States, extending through Central America and South America to the Antilles and the Galápagos Islands, and it is migratory. The species was first formally described by Francis Walker in 1858. The wingspan of adult soybean loopers ranges from 28 to 39 mm. Adults are active on the wing from April to November, with timing varying by location. The larvae feed on a wide variety of plants. Documented food plants include species from the plant families Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Commelinaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Geraniaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Malvaceae, Solanaceae, and Verbenaceae, as well as the specific species Medicago sativa, Phaseolus polystachios, Glycine max, Gossypium herbaceum, Nicotiana tabacum, Lycopersicon esculentum, Brassica, and Lactuca sativa. Soybean loopers may be preyed on by the Mexican free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis.
