The larvae of Heliothis subflexa feed exclusively on fruits of Physalis species, the only known hostplant record in United States. I found larvae of H. subflexa feeding on Nicotiana tabacum (Solanaceae) in Colombia. This competes for food with Heliothis virescens, a related species.
Hola Luis Miguel, yes I have seen this caterpillar in Lima Peru (2016/01/13) on a solitary, cultivated tobacco plant. Not documented but the (dead by a parasite) caterpillar was very typical.
Thank you Chris for your answer. Now we have two records for South America (Colombia and Peru) so far. This larva is different from Heliothis virescens.
Hola Luis Miguel,here some more info about H. subflexa and the precence of it in Peru.
http://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/ir/bitstream/1840.16/4322/1/etd.pdf
Mention is made in the article of 90 species from the genus Solanaceae as a host plant!
The sp. is also known from Lambayeque, Peru on Nicandra physaloides (Capuli cimarron). personal info: Blg. Clorinda Vergara Cobián.
Hola Chris:
Thank you very much for the excellent thesis work about Heliothis subflexa and the records on Nicandra in Perú. I found another record of H. subflexa on tobacco in Kentucky, United States
http://aesa.oxfordjournals.org/content/73/4/375
Regards,
Luis Miguel
I had worked at Bidi Tobacco Research Station, Anand Agril. University, Anand (Gujarat-India) during 2010; but I have not been seen the said sp of Helicoverpa to infest cultivated tobacco plant.
Thank you Lalitkumar:
Heliothis subflexa is found only in the neotropical region (Central and South America). Is not present in India.
Regards,
Luis Miguel
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