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 nut ...

s. However the term most frequently refers among the Coleoptera to the larva of certain longhorn beetles such as '' Dorysthenes buqueti'' and those of the genus '' Oberea'', and among the Lepidoptera 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,

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 d ...

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 Pyralida ...

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 calamistis'') * African white stemborer (''Maliarpha separatella'') * Asiatic rice stemborer (striped rice stemborer, ''Chilo suppressalis'') * Banana stem borer (''Telchin licus'') * Egyptian stemborer (''Earias insulana'') * Gold-fringed rice stemborer (''Chilo auricilius'') *Pearl millet stem borer ('' Coniesta ignefusalis'') *Spotted stem borer ('' Chilo partellus'') * Tomato stemborer (''Symmetrischema tangolias'') * Yellow rice stem borer (''Scirpophaga incertulas'') * White rice stemborer (''Scirpophaga innotata'')

Notes and references

{{Animal common name Agricultural pest insects