Stalk-borer
Guides
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.
Chilo plejadellus
Rice Stalk Borer Moth
Chilo plejadellus, commonly known as the rice stalk borer moth, is a crambid moth described by Zincken in 1821. It is a significant agricultural pest whose larvae tunnel into rice stalks. The species has been studied for its sex pheromone chemistry, with (Z)-13-octadecenal identified as the primary female-produced attractant. Field applications of synthetic pheromone have proven effective for population monitoring.
Diatraea
sugarcane borer, stalk borer
Diatraea is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae comprising approximately 40 described species. The genus is best known for several economically important stalk-boring pests of grass crops, particularly sugarcane, corn, sorghum, and rice. Larvae tunnel within plant stems, causing reduced yield, lodging, and increased susceptibility to pathogens. Several species have been the focus of extensive biological control programs, notably using parasitoid wasps such as Cotesia flavipes and Trichogramma galloi. The genus is distributed throughout the Americas from the southern United States to Argentina.
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.
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.
Diatraea saccharalis
sugarcane borer, sugar-cane borer
Diatraea saccharalis, commonly known as the sugarcane borer, is a moth in the family Crambidae native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Western Hemisphere. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1794 and has since become a significant agricultural pest. It was introduced to Louisiana around 1855 and has subsequently spread throughout the Gulf Coast states of the United States. The larvae are particularly destructive to sugarcane, but also attack corn, rice, sorghum, and various grass species.
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
Eoreuma is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, first described by Ely in 1910. The genus contains 11 described species, with Eoreuma loftini (Mexican rice borer) being the most economically significant. This species is a major agricultural pest of sugarcane, rice, sorghum, and corn in the southern United States and Mexico, causing substantial yield losses through larval tunneling in stalks. The genus is native to the Americas, with several species described from the southwestern United States and Mexico.
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.
Rhodobaenus quinquepunctatus
cocklebur weevil
A medium-sized weevil distinguished by its striking red-and-black spotted coloration. The cocklebur weevil is primarily known as a pest of sunflowers, where larvae tunnel through stalk pith and roots. Adults and larvae have been documented causing economic damage in agricultural settings, particularly in Texas sunflower production. The species is found throughout North America.