Chilo partellus (Swinhoe)


Common name:	Spotted Stalk Borer; Pink Borer
Synonyms:	Chilo zonellus (Swinhoe)
Ethiopian name:	Ageda Korkur

Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pyralidae

HOSTS:
Main hosts:	Maize, Sorghum, Bulrush millet, Sugarcane, Rice
Alternative hosts:	Several wild grasses

IMPORTANCE IN ETHIOPIA:
Major pest of:	Maize, Sorghum
Minor pest of:	Wheat

DISTRIBUTION IN ETHIOPIA:
	This species is most important at altitudes below 1500 meters above sea level.

DAMAGE:
	In young plants the shoot can be killed, causing a "dead heart". In older plants the upper part of the stem usually dies as a result of the boring of the caterpillars. Upper part of maize plant died as a result of stalk borer damage.

INSECT BIOLOGY & RECOGNITION:
Egg:	The eggs are laid on the underside of a leaf near the midrib in 3-5 rows, in groups of 50-100. They are flattened, ovoid, and about 0.8 mm long. Hatching takes place after 7-10 days.
Larva:	The young caterpillars produce characteristic leaf windowing. Sometimes the early stages mine in the leaves, causing yellow streaks. After a few days they bore down inside the funnel. They also may move down outside the stem and then bore into it just above an internode. In older plants the caterpillars sometimes live in the developed heads. In general appearance the caterpillars look like Busseola fusca larvae (= Maize Stalk Borer). They are creamy pink with groups of dark spots along the back. The head capsule is brown. When mature they are about 25 mm long. The caterpillars can be distinguished from B. fusca and from Sesamia calamistis (= Pink Stalk Borer) by the hooks on its prolegs. In C. partellus these hooks are arranged in a complete circle. In B. fusca and S. calamistis they are arranged in a crescent. The larval period takes 28-35 days.
Pupa:	Pupation takes place in a small chamber in the stem. The pupal period takes 7 10 days.
Adult:	Adult moths have a wingspan of 20-30 mm. Males are smaller and darker than females. The forewings of males are pale brown. The forewings of the females are much paler and the hind wings are almost white.

	Caterpillar of Chilo partellus

Text adapted from:

INSECT PESTS OF CEREALS IN ETHIOPIA identification and control methods by Hein Bijlmakers, FAO/UNDP Project ETH/86/029 Crop Protection Phase II, Addis Ababa, October 1989