Sugarcane Borer vs European Seedcorn Ground Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sugarcane Borer European Seedcorn Ground Beetle
Scientific Name Diatraea saccharalis Zabrus tenebrioides
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Crambidae Carabidae
Size 20-28 mm wingspan 14-18 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Omnivores Herbivores
Regions Americas Europe, Central Asia
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.

💡

Did You Know?

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

European Seedcorn Ground Beetle

An unusual ground beetle that is herbivorous as an adult, feeding on cereal crops. Larvae are predatory and live in soil burrows.

💡

Did You Know?

It is one of the very few ground beetles that is a crop pest rather than a beneficial predator.