Sugarcane Borer vs Brimstone

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sugarcane Borer Brimstone
Scientific Name Diatraea saccharalis Gonepteryx rhamni
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Crambidae Pieridae
Size 20-28 mm wingspan 52-60 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Heathland
Diet Omnivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Americas Europe, Asia, North Africa
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Sugarcane Borer

A straw-colored moth whose larvae bore into sugarcane stalks, causing yield losses and allowing disease organisms to enter. It is the most important sugarcane pest in the Western Hemisphere.

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Did You Know?

The parasitoid fly Cotesia flavipes was introduced from Asia to control this borer and has been remarkably successful in Brazil.

Brimstone

Males are vivid sulphur-yellow; females are pale greenish-white. Leaf-shaped wings provide excellent camouflage at rest.

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Did You Know?

The word butterfly may derive from the butter-yellow colour of the Brimstone, one of the earliest to fly.