Cotton webspinner

Larvae are slender and are grey-green with a dark head. They are sparsely haired and have a dark lateral stripe above each pale lateral band. They also have a dark stripe down the middle of their back flanked on each side by three rows of small dark spots. Larvae can reach 15 mm in length and wriggle violently when disturbed. Moths are pale yellow to cream with dark brown or reddish flecks with a 20 mm wingspan. At rest their wings are swept backwards forming a narrow triangle.
Larvae feed on leaves under fine web. Sudden and devastatingly high populations can 'shred' the leaves of seedling crops leading to plant death.
Crops attacked: Soybeans, cotton and lucerne.