Feeding Responses of Some Noctuid Larvae1 (Lepidoptera) to Plant Extracts23

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Abstract
An arrestant-feeding stimulant obtained from lyophilized plant material was tested on filter paper for preference by larvae of the corn earworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie); the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith); and the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.). The response varied among the 6 species of plants tested, the plant portion used, and the species of insect. The ratios of feeding on plant extract to feeding on the untreated controls demonstrated that the preference of all 3 insect species was for extracts of plant fruiting bodies rather than for vegetative parts, an indication that more arrestant was present in the fruiting body than elsewhere in the plant. Although the sugar content in plant material seemed to influence feeding somewhat, in many instances larval preference for some plants and plant parts was due to factors other than presence of sucrose. In general, plant and insect feeding relationships were close to those reported from field observations.