cabbage worm

plural cabbage worms · alternative cabbageworm

1. Any of various lepidopterans whose larvae feed on cabbages and other cole crops.
   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.
   5. A cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni, family Noctuidae), of much of the northern hemisphere.
   6. 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.
   7. A diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella, syn. Plutella maculipennis, family Plutellidae).