Scirpophaga excerptalis

Scirpophaga excerptalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Crambidae
Genus: Scirpophaga
Species: S. excerptalis
Binomial name
Scirpophaga excerptalis
(Walker, 1863)
Synonyms
  • Chilo excerptalis Walker, 1863
  • Scirpophaga monostigma Zeller, 1863
  • Scirpophaga butyrota Meyrick, 1889
  • Scirpophaga intacta Snellen, 1890
  • Topeutis rhodoproctalis Hampson, 1919

Scirpophaga excerptalis, the White top borer or Sugarcane top borer, is a moth in the Crambidae family. It was described by Walker in 1863.[1] It is found in China (Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan), Taiwan, Japan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, western Malaysia, Java, Sumba Island, Timor, Buru, Adonara Island, Ambon Island, the Philippines, New Guinea, New Hannover, New Britain, New Ireland, Australia and the Solomon Islands.[2]

The wingspan is 22–28 mm for males and 26–35 mm for females. The fore- and hindwings are white, with an orange-red anal tuft in females.[3]

The larvae feed on Saccharum (including Saccharum robustum and Saccharum officinarum) and Triticum species.[4] Young larvae eat through rolled leaves, then usually penetrate along the midrib of the leaf into the heart of the plant. They then tunnel in the midrib, emerging through the upper epidermis.[5]

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, May 25, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.