Southwestern Corn Borer vs Fan-foot Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Southwestern Corn Borer Fan-foot Moth
Scientific Name Diatraea grandiosella Zanclognatha tarsipennalis
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Crambidae Erebidae
Size 25-35 mm wingspan 26-32 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Southern United States, Mexico Europe
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Southwestern Corn Borer

A pale moth whose larvae bore into corn stalks and girdle stems from the inside, causing extensive lodging. It is a major corn pest in the southern Great Plains of the United States.

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Did You Know?

Overwintering larvae girdle the corn stalk from the inside, deliberately weakening it so the stalk falls and provides insulated shelter.

Fan-foot Moth

A subtle brown moth with fan-shaped palps and delicate wing markings. Found in woodland where dead leaves accumulate. Larvae feed on dead leaves on the woodland floor.

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Did You Know?

The males have distinctive enlarged fan-shaped labial palps that give this moth its common name.