Grass-pest
Guides
Apamea devastator
glassy cutworm moth, glassy cutworm
Apamea devastator, commonly known as the glassy cutworm moth, is a noctuid moth of northeastern North America. The adult has a wingspan of 35–40 mm and flies from May to September. The larva is a subterranean cutworm that feeds on grasses, attacking roots and basal stems. The species is economically significant as a pest of turfgrass and agricultural grasses.
Blissus barberi
Blissus barberi is a species of chinch bug in the family Blissidae, described by Leonard in 1968. It belongs to a genus containing several economically significant pests of cereal crops and turfgrass. The species is part of a taxonomic group whose members are characterized by piercing-sucking mouthparts and association with grasses. Specific biological and ecological details for B. barberi remain poorly documented in the available literature.
Diatraea lisetta
Dotted Diatraea
Diatraea lisetta is a moth in the family Crambidae, described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1909. It belongs to the genus Diatraea, which includes several stalk-boring pest species of grasses. The species has been recorded from Panama, Mexico, and multiple southeastern and mid-Atlantic states in the United States. As a member of the Diatraea genus, it likely shares the general biology of related stalk borers, though specific ecological details for this species are poorly documented.
Leptodictya plana
Grass Lacebug
Leptodictya plana is a grass-feeding lace bug (Hemiptera: Tingidae) first described in 1913. It has been documented as an emerging pest on ornamental grasses in the southern United States, with Pennisetum species showing particular susceptibility to feeding damage and serving as oviposition hosts. The species remains seldom collected despite its economic relevance to horticulture.
Leptopterna dolabrata
meadow plant bug
Leptopterna dolabrata is a heteropteran bug in the family Miridae, measuring 8.3–9.8 mm in length. It is sexually dimorphic: males are always macropterous (long-winged), while females are mostly brachypterous (short-winged). The species feeds on developing grass seeds and is considered a pest in grass seed production. It has an extensive native range across Europe and Asia, and is adventive in North America.
Ophiomyiinae
Ophiomyiinae is a subfamily of small flies within the family Agromyzidae, commonly known as leaf-miner flies. Members of this subfamily are characterized by their highly specialized association with monocotyledonous plants, particularly grasses and sedges. The group includes economically significant pests of cereal crops and pasture grasses. Larval development occurs within plant tissues, creating distinctive feeding damage.
Sipha flava
yellow sugarcane aphid
Sipha flava, commonly known as the yellow sugarcane aphid, is a significant agricultural pest native to North America that has spread to multiple continents. This aphid feeds on warm- and cool-season grasses including sugarcane, sorghum, corn, rice, and numerous pasture grasses. It is distinguished by its bright lemon-yellow to pale green coloration, body covered with small spines, and two double rows of dark spots on the dorsum. The species is notable for injecting a toxin while feeding that causes host plant leaves to turn purple in seedlings and yellow to reddish in older plants, leading to stunted growth, delayed maturity, and potential lodging. Unlike many aphids, it produces little to no honeydew. Populations can increase rapidly through parthenogenetic reproduction, with females giving birth to live young for approximately 28 days.
Sphenophorus deficiens
Sphenophorus deficiens is a species of billbug weevil described by Chittenden in 1920. Like other members of the genus Sphenophorus, it belongs to the family Dryophthoridae (formerly placed in Curculionidae). The genus Sphenophorus comprises multiple weevil species associated with grasses and sedges, with several species being economically significant agricultural pests. Information specific to S. deficiens is sparse in the available literature.
Sphenophorus graminis
Sphenophorus graminis is a species of weevil (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) found in North America. It is one of multiple billbug species within the genus Sphenophorus, a group of weevils that develop within plant stems and roots. Like related billbug species, adults and larvae feed on grasses, though specific details of its biology and host associations are not well documented in available sources.
Sphenophorus venatus
hunting billbug
Sphenophorus venatus, commonly known as the hunting billbug, is a weevil species in the family Dryophthoridae. It is native to North and Central America, with established populations in parts of Europe including Spain and Corsica. The species is a documented pest of turfgrasses and forage crops, with different subspecies showing host preferences: S. v. vestitus affects zoysiagrass, while S. v. confluens has been recorded as a pest of orchardgrass. Adults and larvae feed on grasses, with larvae causing damage by boring into stems and roots. The species uses volatile organic compounds from host plants and conspecifics for dispersal and host-finding, with males attracted to Cynodon dactylon and females attracted to male conspecifics.
billbugweevilturfgrass-pestDryophthoridaeSphenophorushunting-billbuggrass-pestpheromonevolatile-organic-compoundscuticular-hydrocarbonsintegrated-pest-managementsubspecies-vestitussubspecies-confluenszoysiagrassorchardgrassbermudagrassNorth-Americaintroduced-speciesEuropemolecular-identificationCOIITS2Sphenophorus zeae
Timothy billbug
Sphenophorus zeae, commonly known as the Timothy billbug, is a true weevil species in the family Dryophthoridae. It is native to North America, with documented occurrences in Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario) and the United States. As a member of the genus Sphenophorus, it shares the characteristic billbug morphology and life history involving larval development within plant stems and roots. The species is associated with grasses, including timothy (Phleum pratense), which provides its common name.