Telchin licus
Encyclopedia
The Banana Stem Borer is a moth
of the Castniidae
family. It is native to South America
, where it is found from Colombia
, Venezuela
and the Guianas, throughout the Amazon basin in Brasil and Peru
. It has also been recorded as an introduced species in Hawaii
.
The length of the forewings is 64-80 mm. Adults are dark brown with bluish or greenish hues. There is a whitish-cream transverse band and an apical whitish spotted band on the forewing. The hindwings are dark brown with a whitish-cream band. The spots are red or reddish with the middle spots larger in size.
The larvae feed on Saccharum officinarum, Musa
, Heliconia
and Ichnosiphon species. It is considered a pest species. Young larvae make a small cavity and then tunnel into the heart of the cane of the host plant. They tunnel upwards and downwards, and create a shelter in the rootstock where they rest. Pupation takes place in the rootstock or at the base of the cane.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Castniidae
Castniidae
Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with less than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These are medium-sized to very large moths, usually with drab, cryptically-marked forewings and brightly coloured hindwings. They...
family. It is native to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, where it is found from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and the Guianas, throughout the Amazon basin in Brasil and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. It has also been recorded as an introduced species in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The length of the forewings is 64-80 mm. Adults are dark brown with bluish or greenish hues. There is a whitish-cream transverse band and an apical whitish spotted band on the forewing. The hindwings are dark brown with a whitish-cream band. The spots are red or reddish with the middle spots larger in size.
The larvae feed on Saccharum officinarum, Musa
Muša
Mūša is a river in Northern Lithuania and Southern Latvia , having its confluence with river Nemunėlis , in Latvia, near city Bauska. Mūša is a tributary of the river Lielupė. Mūša is 164 kilometres long....
, Heliconia
Heliconia
Heliconia, derived from the Greek word helikonios, is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Many species of Heliconia are found in rainforests or tropical wet forests of these regions...
and Ichnosiphon species. It is considered a pest species. Young larvae make a small cavity and then tunnel into the heart of the cane of the host plant. They tunnel upwards and downwards, and create a shelter in the rootstock where they rest. Pupation takes place in the rootstock or at the base of the cane.
Subspecies
- Telchin licus licus (Brazil)
- Telchin licus albomaculata (Houlbert, 1917) (Colombia, Peru)
- Telchin licus chocoensis (Hopp, 1925) (Colombia)
- Telchin licus insularis (Houlbert, 1918) (Trinidad)
- Telchin licus laura (Druce, 1896) (Brazil)
- Telchin licus licoidella (Strand, 1913) (Peru)
- Telchin licus pauperata (Strand, 1913) (Surinam, French Guiana, Guyana)
- Telchin licus magdalena (Joicey & Talbot, 1925) (Colombia)
- Telchin licus microsticta (Rothschild, 1919) (Nicaragua)
- Telchin licus rubromaculata (Houlbert, 1917) (Brazil, Bolivia)
- Telchin licus talboti (Lathy, 1922) (Ecuador)
- Telchin licus vorax Lamas, 1995 (Peru)