Elasmopalpus lignosellus

Elasmopalpus lignosellus
Adult male
Adult female
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pyralidae
Subfamily:	Phycitinae
Genus:	Elasmopalpus
Species:	E. lignosellus
Binomial name
Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller, 1848)[1]
Synonyms
Elasmopalpus lignosella Pempelia lignosella Zeller, 1848 Pempelia tartarella Zeller, 1872 Pempelia tartarellus Dasypyga carbonella Hulst, 1888 Dasypyga carbonellus Pempelia incautella Zeller, 1872 Elasmopalpus incautellus Pempelia lignosellus var. major Zeller, 1874 Elasmopalpus anthracellus Ragonot, 1888 Elasmopalpus puer Dyar, 1919

Elasmopalpus lignosellus, the lesser cornstalk borer, was described by

The wingspan is 17–25 mm. Adults are generally brownish with narrow and elongate forewings with oblique distal margins. The forewings are yellow ocher to light brown in males and dark brown in females. The hindwings are whitish with gray to brown anterior and distal margins.

The larvae feed on a wide range of plants but prefer grasses. Recorded host plants include a number of economically important plants such as

They tunnel into the crown of their host plant, severely weakening large plants and often killing young seedlings. They spin silken tubes near the soil surface for protection. On peanuts, they will feed on any portion of the plant that contacts the soil. The species overwinters as a larva or pupa in the soil.[3]

Gallery

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  Larva
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  Larva
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  Damage
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  Pupa

References

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