''Ephysteris promptella'', the ratoon shootborer, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is a pantropical species, found in the warmer parts of the Old World tropics to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is widely distributed in southern Europe (ranging to Slovakia in the north). The wingspan is 8–10 mm. Adults are greyish brown. Males are smaller and have black dots, while females have white flecks. The larvae feed on ''

Andropogon ''Andropogon'' ( common names: beard grass, bluestem grass, broomsedge) is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to much of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as southern Europe and various oceanic islands. Over 100 spec ...

'', '' Oryza'', '' Panicum'', '' Saccharum officinarum'', ''

Sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

'', '' Stipa'', ''

Triticum Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

'' and ''

Zea mays 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. Th ...

''. They bore the shoots of their host plant. Full-grown larvae reach a length of about 5 mm. Pupation takes place in a cocoon covered in

frass Frass refers loosely to the more or less solid excreta of insects, and to certain other related matter. Definition and etymology ''Frass'' is an informal term and accordingly it is variously used and variously defined. It is derived from the G ...

which is made in debris on the soil surface.

References

Moths described in 1859 Ephysteris Moths of Asia Lepidoptera of Namibia Moths of Europe Insects of Zimbabwe Moths of Africa Pantropical spiders {{Gnorimoschemini-stub