Chilo infuscatellus Snellen

Taxonomic position

Insecta: Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae: Crambinae

Common names

Early shoot borer, sugarcane shoot borer

Habitat / Crop(s) damaged

Mainly sugarcane and also other wild relatives of sugarcane such as Saccharum spontaneum, Erianthus munja, and Erianthus spp. Alternate hosts include sorghum, maize, oats, barley, rice, pearl millet, and finger millet (cultivated); Cynodon dactylon, Echinocloa colana, Paspalum spp., etc. (weed hosts).

The larva is dirty white with five violet stripes (one dorso-median stripe with two lateral stripes on either side) from second thoracic to eighth abdominal segment, with spots. The larvae bore into the plants by one or more holes and kill the growing point, resulting in the characteristic 'deadhearts' that emit a foul smell and can be easily pulled out. Injury to shoots after internode formation rarely results in deadheart formation, but in case of serious infestation, the upper portion of the cane dries up completely (Avasthy & Tiwari, 1986).

Pest status

A serious pest of sugarcane, widely distributed throughout India.

Selected reference

Avasthy, PN & Tiwari, NK. 1986. The shoot borer, Chilo infuscatellus Snellen, pp. 69-92. In: Sugarcane entomology in India (David et al., Eds), Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, India.

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