diamondback moth

American  

noun

1. a moth, Plutella maculipennis, having brownish wings marked with diamond-shaped, yellow spots in the male, the larvae of which feed on the leaves of cabbages and other cruciferous plants.

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Example Sentences

Department of Agriculture is seeking to enlist such techniques to eradicate an invasive diamondback moth in New York, which eats vegetable crops, and a cotton-munching pink bollworm in Arizona.

From Seattle Times

Neil Morrison, who directs agricultural research at Oxitec, said in a statement the company is "evaluating potential opportunities in regions where diamondback moth management is challenging for farmers."

From Science Magazine

They could help maintain the effectiveness of insecticides and genetically modified crops the diamondback moth has evolved resistance to.

From Science Magazine

"Radiating insects is like a using sledgehammer," says Tony Shelton, an entomologist at Cornell University who studies the diamondback moth and led the current study.

From Science Magazine

Frankenmoth A male diamondback moth engineered to spread a lethal gene to females, creating nonviable offspring that reduce the moth's toll on crops.

From Science Magazine