cabbage worm

cabbage worm

English

Alternative forms

• cabbageworm

Noun

cabbage worm (plural cabbage worms)

1. Any of various lepidopterans whose larvae feed on cabbages and other cole crops.
   1. Any of several species of Pieris (family Pieridae) butterflies:
      1. A small white (Pieris rapae), found in most temperate regions.
      2. A large white (Pieris brassicae), of Eurasia and north Africa.
      3. A southern cabbage butterfly (Pieris protodice), of North America.
      4. A green-veined white (Pieris napi) of Europe and North America.
   2. A cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni, family Noctuidae), of much of the northern hemisphere.
   3. A cabbage webworm (Hellula undalis, family Crambidae) native to southern Europe or Asia that also injures cabbages and other vegetables in the Gulf states of the United States.
   4. A diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella, syn. Pieris maculipennis, family Plutellidae).