Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller, 1848)    Synonyms: Elasmopalpus lignosella, Hodges #5896.
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Lepidoptera   >   Family Pyralidae   >   Genus Elasmopalpus   

Status:

From Glaser (Micromoths): This is a common pest species of tropical America, the southern U.S., and Bermuda, migrating as far north as Canada in some seasons (taken at least twice in Nova Scotia) (Ferguson, Hilburn, and Wright, 1991: 42). It must reach Maryland more frequently than the existing records would suggest.

Relationships:

From Glaser (Micromoths): The larva feeds on a wide variety of plants, including beans, corn, cowpeas, crabgrass, and related grasses, sugar cane, sorghum, peanuts, turnips, wheat, strawberry plants, flax, black locust, cotton, etc. (Heinrich, 1956: 173).

There are 32 records in the project database.

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A Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth in Howard Co., Maryland (8/11/2017). Photo by Mark Etheridge. (MBP list)

A Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/22/2014). Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Timothy Reichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

A Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth in Worcester Co., Maryland (7/28/2013). Photo by Scott Housten. (MBP list)

Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth in Howard Co., Maryland (8/11/2017). (c) Bill Hubick, all rights reserved. Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth in Baltimore City, Maryland (8/17/2016). Determined by Aaron Hunt/BugGuide. Photo by Thomas Wilson. (MBP list)

Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (8/21/2015). (c) treichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth in Caroline Co., Maryland (8/14/2022). (c) Jim Brighton, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/28/2019). (c) Timothy Reichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

A Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth collected in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/21/). Photo by John Glaser. (MBP list)


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