Sorghum-pest
Guides
Agonoscelis
Agonoscelis is a genus of shield bugs (Pentatomidae) in the monotypic tribe Agonoscelidini. The genus contains approximately 19–22 species native to the Afrotropics and Australia, with one species, A. puberula, established in the New World. Several species are agricultural pests of sorghum, sunflower, and other crops. Adults range from 8 to 12 mm in length and possess five nymphal stages.
Apinocis
Sugarcane rootstock weevil
Apinocis is a genus of weevils in the family Curculionidae, established by Lea in 1927. The best-known species is Apinocis deplanatus, commonly called the sugarcane rootstock weevil, which sporadically infests sorghum and sugarcane. Adults are small, dark beetles that overwinter in plant debris and migrate from wild grasses to cultivated crops. Larvae tunnel into stalk bases, causing lodging and secondary pathogen infection.
Apinocis deplanatus
sugarcane rootstock weevil
Apinocis deplanatus, commonly known as the sugarcane rootstock weevil, is a sporadic pest of sorghum and sugarcane in the southern United States. The species is associated with dry conditions and fields where johnsongrass is abundant. Adults overwinter beneath plant residues and infest wild grasses in spring before moving to cultivated sorghum. Larval tunneling in stalks near the soil surface causes the most significant damage, often resulting in lodging and secondary pathogen infection. Economic thresholds have not been established, and chemical control is rarely required.
Chlorochroa ligata
conchuela bug, conchuela stink bug
Chlorochroa ligata, commonly known as the conchuela bug, is a stink bug species in the family Pentatomidae. It occurs across North America and Central America, with documented presence in the southwestern United States including New Mexico and Texas. The species is associated with mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and other woody plants, where adults have been observed mating on seedpods. It is recognized as a pest of grain sorghum and other crops, with piercing-sucking mouthparts that damage developing kernels.
Chlorochroa saucia
Conchuela stink bug
Chlorochroa saucia is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae, commonly known as the conchuela stink bug. Adults reach approximately 9 mm in length. The species is distributed across North America and has been documented as a pest of developing grain in sorghum heads, where it feeds on kernels using piercing-sucking mouthparts. It is also known to occur on alfalfa, corn, cotton, peppers, tomatoes, and various fruits, with mesquite serving as a common weed host. The species has been observed as prey of the predatory wasp Astata unicolor.
Contarinia
Gall midges
Contarinia is a genus of gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) containing over 300 described species. Adults are small, delicate flies with hairy wings, long antennae, and distinctive wing venation including an interrupted costal vein. The genus includes numerous agricultural pests whose larvae induce galls or feed on meristematic tissues of plants, particularly in the Brassicaceae, Poaceae, and other families. Several species cause significant economic damage to crops including sorghum, canola, citrus, and stone fruits.
Diatraea crambidoides
southern cornstalk borer moth, southern corn stalk borer
Diatraea crambidoides is a moth in the family Crambidae whose larvae are significant agricultural pests of corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. The species was described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1880 and occurs in eastern North America from Alabama and northern Florida to Ohio and Maryland. Adults are straw-colored to dull white with wingspans of 15–40 mm. The species has two generations per year, with larvae boring into stalks and damaging internodes, reducing crop yield. It has been evaluated as a target for biological control using the parasitoid wasp Aprostocetus esurus.
Dichomeris
Dichomeris is a large genus of small moths in the family Gelechiidae, erected by Jacob Hübner in 1818. The genus contains hundreds of species distributed globally, with particularly high diversity in tropical and subtropical regions. Larvae of many species are leaf-folders, constructing silk shelters on host plants for protection while feeding. Some species are economically significant agricultural pests, including D. famulata, which infests sorghum panicles in South America.
Elasmopalpus lignosella
lesser cornstalk borer
Elasmopalpus lignosella, commonly known as the lesser cornstalk borer, is a moth species whose larvae are pests of young agricultural crops including sorghum, corn, peanuts, and soybeans. The species is widely distributed, with records from North America, Europe, and Hawaii. Larvae bore into stems near ground level, causing wilting, lodging, and plant death. Infestations are more severe during hot, dry conditions and in sandy soils. While capable of significant damage in soybeans and other crops, damaging infestations in sorghum are rare.
Eoreuma loftini
Mexican rice borer, Mexican Rice-borer Moth
Eoreuma loftini, the Mexican rice borer, is a small moth in the family Crambidae described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1917. It is a significant agricultural pest of sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum, and lemongrass in the southern United States and Mexico. The species is invasive in the U.S. and is expanding its range northward at approximately 15 miles per year, having spread from Texas into Louisiana and Florida since 1980. Larval feeding inside plant stems causes characteristic damage including 'deadhearting' and 'whiteheading' in rice, and stem rot in lemongrass, resulting in substantial yield losses.
Euxoa servitus
Slave Dart
Euxoa servitus, commonly known as the slave dart, is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is one of many Euxoa species that can damage agricultural crops, particularly small grains and sorghum. The larvae are typical cutworms that feed at night and hide in soil during the day. The species is assigned MONA (Moth Photographers Group) or Hodges number 10854.
Oebalus
rice stink bug
Oebalus is a genus of stink bugs (Pentatomidae) containing several species that are significant agricultural pests, particularly of rice and sorghum. The most extensively studied species, Oebalus pugnax (rice stink bug), is a serious pest of rice in the southeastern United States and Caribbean. Other species including O. insularis, O. ornatus, and O. poecilus also develop on rice and are distributed across the Americas. All life stages feed on developing grain kernels, causing direct damage and facilitating fungal infection.
Peregrinus maidis
corn planthopper, corn delphacid, sorghum shoot bug, shoot bug
Peregrinus maidis is a small planthopper in the family Delphacidae, widely distributed across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. It is a significant agricultural pest of maize, sorghum, and sugarcane, causing direct damage through phloem feeding and acting as a vector for several important plant viruses including maize mosaic virus and maize stripe virus. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism in size, with females larger than males, and displays wing dimorphism with brachypterous (short-winged) and macropterous (long-winged) forms that develop in response to environmental conditions.
Schizaphis graminum
greenbug, wheat aphid, common wheat-louse
Schizaphis graminum, commonly known as the greenbug or wheat aphid, is a small aphid species in the family Aphididae. Native to the Palaearctic region, it has been introduced worldwide and is a significant pest of cereal crops, particularly wheat and sorghum. The species exhibits wing dimorphism, with wingless forms predominating early in the season and winged forms developing under crowded conditions to disperse to new hosts. It causes direct damage through feeding and toxin injection, and indirect damage as a vector of multiple plant viruses.
Sipha
yellow sugarcane aphid (for S. flava), hedgehog grain aphid (for S. maydis)
Sipha is a genus of aphids (Aphididae) in the tribe Siphini, with nearly cosmopolitan distribution. The genus includes notable agricultural pests, particularly Sipha flava (yellow sugarcane aphid) and Sipha maydis (hedgehog grain aphid). Species in this genus feed on grasses and cereal crops, with some capable of transmitting plant viruses such as barley yellow dwarf virus. Several species have expanded their ranges rapidly in recent decades, becoming significant pests of sorghum, sugarcane, wheat, and barley.