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Oviposition and larval dispersal of the common armyworm, Mythimna convecta (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The common armyworm, Mythimna convecta (Walker), is a pest of cereal crops and pasture grasses in Australia. During autumn, egglaying in grasslands commonly occurs before plant growth commences. The possible association between oviposition and dried grasses was investigated in field studies of larval distribution in a pasture and a crop habitat, and in laboratory studies of oviposition site preferences and the mode of dispersal of newly hatched first instar larvae. A comparison of a green grass pasture with and without a component of dried grass showed that highest densities of M. convecta larvea. were found in the former. In the laboratory, egg batches were laid between plant parts in close contact, such as between the stem and leaf axil and between seeds in the seed head. The crevices in dried plant material and seed-heads were significantly more acceptable for oviposition than in green foliage. Oviposition in dried plant material enables M. convecta to rapidly colonize ephemeral grasslands immediately after rains when the neonate larvae can disperse and feed on new vegetative growth. Shortly after hatching, 93% of first instar larvae used fine silken threads for aerial dispersal in 0.5 m s-1 air currents and 43% were blown a distance of more than 1.0 m. In the field, sticky traps caught larvae dispersing in all directions from a central source, and indicated that approximately 30% were transported 2 m after 7 days of light to medium breezes. Terminal velocities of newly hatched larvae were 20–130 cm s-1, depending on the length of the trailing thread.