Spotted Stem Borer vs Gatekeeper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spotted Stem Borer Gatekeeper
Scientific Name Chilo partellus Pyronia tithonus
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Crambidae Nymphalidae
Size 20-28 mm wingspan 34-38 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia Western Europe, Southern Europe
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Spotted Stem Borer

A straw-colored moth whose larvae bore into stems of maize and sorghum in Africa and Asia. It can cause total crop failure in heavily infested fields.

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Did You Know?

The push-pull pest management system, using Desmodium and Napier grass, was developed primarily to combat this borer.

Gatekeeper

A common warm-brown butterfly often seen basking on hedgerow flowers in high summer. It has distinctive twin white pupils within the eye-spots on its forewings.

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Did You Know?

Its alternative name 'Hedge Brown' reflects its strong association with hedgerow habitats.