''Sesamia nonagrioides'', the Mediterranean corn borer, pink stalk borer or West African pink borer, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the othe ...

. It was described by

Alexandre Louis Lefèbvre de Cérisy Alexandre Louis Lefebvre de Cérisy (14 November 1798, Paris – 2 December 1867, le Bouchevilliers, near Gisors) was a French entomologist. De Cérisy worked as clerk to a solicitor. It was Jean Baptiste Godart (1775-1825) who introduced him to e ...

in 1827. It is found in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and on the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whol ...

, as well as in north-western, south-western and western

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

is 30–40 mm. The forewings are grey yellowish, marked with a marginal band and with rounded spots. The hindwings are white. There is a variable number of generations per year, ranging from two in southern France to up to four in Morocco. The larvae feed on ''

Phragmites communis ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...

'' and ''

Arundo donax ''Arundo donax'' is a tall perennial cane. It is one of several so-called reed species. It has several common names including giant cane, elephant grass, carrizo, arundo, Spanish cane, Colorado river reed, wild cane, and giant reed. ''Arundo'' ...

'' and probably also other grasses with thick stems. It is one of the most damaging pests of

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. ...

in the Mediterranean region. Larvae of the first generation are particularly destructive, because they tunnel the maize stem during the whole larval stage. The larvae are yellowish to brownish with a rust-coloured back and reach a length of 30–40 mm when full grown.

Parasites

Cotesia typhae ''Cotesia'' is a genus of braconid wasps first described by Peter Cameron in 1891. Some species parasitize caterpillars of species considered pests, and are used as biocontrol agents. '' Cotesia congregata'' parasitizes the tomato and the toba ...

'' is a braconid wasp used in the biological control of ''Sesamia nonagrioides''Deux nouveaux insectes identifiés au Kenya peuvent aider à lutter contre les ravageurs du maïs.
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References

"''Sesamia nonagrioides'' (Lefebvre, 1827)"
''Insecta.pro''.

External links

"09464 ''Sesamia nonagrioides'' (Lefèbvre, 1827)"
''Lepiforum e.V.'' Moths described in 1827 Hadeninae Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Moths of the Middle East {{Hadeninae-stub