Characters for distinguishing the sex of pupae of the dark-sided cutworm, Euxoa messoria (Harris), (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

A reliable method for determining the sex of pupae of the dark-sided cutworm is to observe the structures found on the ventral side of the terminal abdominal segments. Two pairs of rounded tubercles, one pair around the genital opening and the other around the anal opening, are present on the terminal abdominal segments of the male, and one pair around the anal opening only on the female.