A stemborer (stem borer) is any insect larva, or arthropod, that bores into

plant stem A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant, the other being the root. It supports leaves, flowers and fruits, transports water and dissolved substances between the roots and the shoots in the xylem and phloem, stores nutrien ...

s. However the term most frequently refers among the

Coleoptera Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

to the larva of certain

longhorn beetles The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns, are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. Most species are characterized by extremely long antennae, which are often as long as or longer than ...

such as '' Dorysthenes buqueti'' and those of the genus '' Oberea'', and among the

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

to certain moths of the

Crambidae The Crambidae are the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies includ ...

Castniidae Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with fewer than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These are medium-sized to very large moths, usually with drab, cryptically-ma ...

Gelechiidae The Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the family's taxonomy has been subject to considerable dis ...

Nolidae Nolidae is a family of moths with about 1,700 described species worldwide. They are mostly small with dull coloration, the main distinguishing feature being a silk cocoon with a vertical exit slit. The group is sometimes known as tuft moths, aft ...

, and

Pyralidae The Pyralidae, commonly called pyralid moths, snout moths or grass moths, are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many (particularly older) classifications, the grass moths (Crambidae) are included in the Pyrali ...

families.

Eucomatocera vittata-Kadavoor-2017-05-23-001

Stem borers include: ;Coleoptera *Banana stemborer weevil ('' Cosmopolites sordidus'') * Coffee white stem borer (''Xylotrechus quadripes'') * Sugarcane longhorn stemborer (''Dorysthenes buqueti'') ;Lepidoptera *African pink stemborer (''

Sesamia ''Sesamia'' is a genus of moths of the family Noctuidae erected by Achille Guenée Achille Guenée (sometimes M.A. Guenée; 1 January 1809 – 30 December 1880) was a French lawyer and entomologist. Biography Achille Guenée was born in Char ...

calamistis'') * African white stemborer (''Maliarpha separatella'') *

Asiatic rice stemborer Asiatic refers to something related to Asia. Asiatic may also refer to: * Asiatic style, a term in ancient stylistic criticism associated with Greek writers of Asia Minor * In the context of Ancient Egypt, beyond the borders of Egypt and the cont ...

(striped rice stemborer, ''Chilo suppressalis'') * Banana stem borer (''Telchin licus'') * Egyptian stemborer (''Earias insulana'') *

Gold-fringed rice stemborer ''Chilo auricilius'', the gold-fringed rice stemborer or terai borer, is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Gerald C. Dudgeon in 1905. It is found in India, Taiwan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, as well as on Sulawesi, Borneo, Sangir ...

(''Chilo auricilius'') *Pearl millet stem borer (''

Coniesta ignefusalis ''Coniesta ignefusalis'', the pearl millet stem-borer, is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by George Hampson in 1919. Distribution ''Coniesta ignefusalis'' is found throughout the West African Sahel, including in Senegal, Mali, ...

'') *Spotted stem borer (''

Chilo partellus ''Chilo partellus'', the spotted stalk borer or spotted stem borer, is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Charles Swinhoe in 1885. It is found in India, Pakistan, Iran, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa, Sudan, ...

'') * Tomato stemborer (''Symmetrischema tangolias'') * Yellow rice stem borer (''Scirpophaga incertulas'') *

White rice stemborer ''Scirpophaga innotata'', the rice white stemborer, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. The species was described by Francis Walker in 1863. It is found in Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the tropical north of Australia. Th ...

(''Scirpophaga innotata'')

Notes and references

{{Animal common name Agricultural pest insects