Dipha aphidivora (Meyrick) (=Melitene aphidivora, Conobathra aphidivora, Cryptoblabes aphidivora)

Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Phycitinae

 Eggs laid on paper
     
Larva feeding on Ceratovacuna lanigera
 Larva on artificial diet
   Pupa
     Adult moth

Widely distributed in India (Karnataka; Kerala; Maharashtra; Tamil Nadu). Thailand. Indonesia. Japan. Philippines. Taiwan.

Predatory on bamboo aphids (Pseudoregma bambusicola and P. alexanderi) and sugarcane woolly aphid, Ceratovacuna lanigera Zehntner. Found effective in controlling C. lanigera in field conditions. Field level mass production is done by establishing larval nurseries on sugarcane raised in shade nets (10m x 10m) and after 3-4 months over 10,000 predators can be harvested, sufficient to control the pest in about 10 hectares of land, if released regularly during the peak infestation months of June-July in peninsular India. D. aphidivora has proved particularly voracious and, as a moth, has been able to spread easily to neighbouring areas.

• Arakaki, N. & Yoshiyasu, Y. 1988. Notes on biology, taxonomy and distribution of the aphidophagous pyralid, Dipha aphidivora (Meyrick) comb. nov. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Applied Entomology and Zoology, 23: 234-244.