Spotted Stem Borer vs Map Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spotted Stem Borer Map Butterfly
Scientific Name Chilo partellus Araschnia levana
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Crambidae Nymphalidae
Size 20-28 mm wingspan 32-40 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Rivers & Streams
Diet Herbivores Omnivores
Regions Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia Europe, temperate Asia
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.

Map Butterfly

A small butterfly that produces two dramatically different seasonal forms within the same year. Spring adults are orange with black spots; summer adults are black with white bands.

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Did You Know?

The seasonal colour change is triggered by day length during the larval stage, not temperature.