CABBAGE LOOPER

distinctive green, white-lined larva, or caterpillar, of Trichoplusia ni, of the owlet moth family Noctuidae (order Lepidoptera). Like other larvae in this family, the cabbage looper lacks the usual lepidopteran legs beneath the mid-region of the body, which therefore rises up in a loop when the tail advances while the head stands still. It is an economic pest of cabbages and allied crops, particularly in the United States and Europe. The adults, known as Ni moths, migrate considerable distances. They are mottled brown with a pale Y-shaped mark on each forewing; the typical adult wingspan is about 25 mm (1 inch).