Description

Adult

Wingspan of 20-30 mm. Forewings are pale brown with variable darker markings along the margins. Hindwings are white.

Larvae

Final instars reach 30-40 mm in length. The body is smooth and shiny, variable in colour but typically creamy white with a pinky shading. The head and prothoracic plate are brown and the anal plate is yellowy-brown. Spiracles are elongate oval with black surrounds.

Eggs

Hemispherical, ca. 1 mm in diameter with radial ridges. Creamy white when laid, becoming darker with age. Deposited in small batches between lower leaf sheaths and the stem.

Distribution

Sub-Saharan Africa

Economic Host(s)

Rice, sugarcane, sorghum and maize.

Symptoms/Signs

Larvae feed within the stems of their host, forming galleries that become filled with frass. Stem tunnelling kills growing points, results in dead hearts and also causes stem breakage. On maize larvae also feed in maize cobs

Generations:

6 or more