Sesamia grisescens
Encyclopedia
The Pink sugarcane borer, Pink stalk borer, Shoot borer, Sugarcane borer or Ramu shoot borer (Sesamia grisescens) is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found in Papua New Guinea
, Seram
, the Moluccas and New Britain
.
The larvae are a pest on Saccharum officinarum, although they also feed on other plants, including Saccharum robustum, Saccharum spontaneum, Saccharum edule, Pennisetum purpureum and Panicum maximum. First instar larvae mine
the inner surface of the leaf sheath before boring into the terminal internodes of the stalk. The gregarious early instars feed on the internode tissue. Later, the larvae migrate to the upper three or four internodes of adjacent undamaged stalks where large tunnels are mined. Several days prior to pupation, the larvae cut large exit holes through the stalk rind and retreat into the tunnel to pupate. There are a total of sevel larval instars.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It is found in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Seram
Seram
Seram is an island in the Maluku province of Indonesia. It is located north of Ambon Island. The chief port/town is Masohi.- Geography and geology :...
, the Moluccas and New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
.
The larvae are a pest on Saccharum officinarum, although they also feed on other plants, including Saccharum robustum, Saccharum spontaneum, Saccharum edule, Pennisetum purpureum and Panicum maximum. First instar larvae mine
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
the inner surface of the leaf sheath before boring into the terminal internodes of the stalk. The gregarious early instars feed on the internode tissue. Later, the larvae migrate to the upper three or four internodes of adjacent undamaged stalks where large tunnels are mined. Several days prior to pupation, the larvae cut large exit holes through the stalk rind and retreat into the tunnel to pupate. There are a total of sevel larval instars.