Eldana

Eldana
Dorsal view
Ventral view
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pyralidae
Genus: Eldana
Walker, 1865[1]
Species: E. saccharina
Binomial name
Eldana saccharina
Walker, 1865
Synonyms
  • Ancylosidia Strand, 1913
  • Ancylosidia conipyga Strand, 1913

Eldana is a genus of moths of the Pyralidae family containing only one species, the African sugar-cane borer (Eldana saccharina), which is known from Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and South Africa.[2]

Close-up of the head

The wingspan is 28–30 mm for males and 39–40 mm for females. Adults have pale brown forewings with two small spots in the centre. The hindwings are whitish.

The larvae are a pest of Saccharum species as well as several grain crops such as sorghum and Zea mays.[3] Other recorded host plants are cassava, rice and Cyperus species. They bore the stems of their host plant.

References

  1. "global Pyraloidea database". Globiz.pyraloidea.org. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  2. "Afro Moths". Afro Moths. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  3. Walker (2008-02-08). "Padil". Padil. Retrieved 2011-10-10.


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