Classification

Pyraloidea: Crambidae: Pyraustinae: Pyrausta

Common name

corn borer, mint moth, grass moth

Synonyms

[too many to list - see http://www.pyraloidea.org for complete taxonomy]

Larval diagnosis (Detailed)

Solis (1999, 2011) defined the larvalarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of Pyrausta sp. by having small pigmented pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
with microscopic setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
anterior to the D pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
of the mesothoraxmesothorax:
the second thoracic segment
and metathoraxmetathorax:
the third thoracic segment
. She noted that Allyson (1981)Allyson (1981):
Allyson, S. 1981. Last instar larvae of Pyraustini of America north of Mexico (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Canadian Entomologist 113: 463-518. characterized Pyrausta using color (lightly pigmented prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the first thoracic segment
, pale pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
below the spiracles), size (less than 20 mm), and the variable number (two or three) of SV setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
on A1. These pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
with microsetae are also present in L. orbinalis.

European species of Pyrausta were studied by Hasenfuss (1960: 174, 175, 187) who stated that the space between stemmatastemma:
a simple eye of holometabolous larvae
one and two is larger than the distance separating stemmatastemma:
a simple eye of holometabolous larvae
two and three if the SV group is bisetosebisetose:
two setae
on A1. Other important characters are the SD1 pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
of A2 and A7 not being reduced, a frontfront:
the frons or frontal area, sometimes including the clypeus
that extends 1/3 to 3/4 the distance to the epicranial notchepicranial notch:
the V-shaped dorsomedial space delimited laterally by the cranial halves
, and some details of the frontal and prothoracic setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
. Bollman (1955) took a broad view of European Pyrausta making analysis of his diagnosis difficult. He did call attention to the presence or absence of a tonofibrillary platelettonofibrillary platelet:
a small, external, flattened, sclerotized area of the integument associated with muscle attachment
on the abdomen and ringlike pigmentation on the pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
in some species. Both European and American species can have stemmatastemma:
a simple eye of holometabolous larvae
six reduced (Allyson 1981Allyson 1981:
Allyson, S. 1981. Last instar larvae of Pyraustini of America north of Mexico (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Canadian Entomologist 113: 463-518.).

Mathur (1954)Mathur (1954):
Mathur, R. N. 1954. Immature stages of Indian Lepidoptera No. 9-Pyralidae, sub­family Pyraustinae. Indian Forest Records 8: 241-265. illustrated "Pyrausta" coclesalis from India. The thoracic anterioranterior:
front; in front of
pigmented pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
with microsetae were absent but posterior pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
lacking setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
were present. The host (bamboo, etc.), pigmented prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the first thoracic segment
, and large prespiracular pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
suggest this species is not congeneric with other temperate Pyrausta and the current removal of this species from the genus is justified.

Identification Authority (Detailed)

Origins are usually not helpful because of Pyrausta is a cosmopolitan genus. However, most interceptions are from the New World (Solis 2011Solis 2011:
Solis, M. A. 2011. Key to selected Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera) larvae intercepted at U. S. ports of entry: revision of Pyraloidea in "Keys to some frequently intercepted lepidopterous larvae" by Weisman 1986 (updated 2006).). We studied the species from Jamaica on Thymus. Munroe (1976: 84) pointed out Pyrausta is difficult to define as larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
and that the majority of species feed on the mint family. Given this uncertainly, it is safest to restrict identification of Pyrausta to interceptions on the Lamiaceae. The Pyrausta from Jamaica does have the tonofibrillary platelettonofibrillary platelet:
a small, external, flattened, sclerotized area of the integument associated with muscle attachment
posterior to the spiracle on A3-6 mentioned by Bollman (1955: fig. 225). The prespiracular group surrounds the prothoracic spiracle, an unusual but not unique modification. Unlike the diagnosis by Allyson (1981)Allyson (1981):
Allyson, S. 1981. Last instar larvae of Pyraustini of America north of Mexico (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Canadian Entomologist 113: 463-518., the pigmented prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
the dorsal shieldlike covering of the first thoracic segment
is pigmented and all the body pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
are sometimes dark. At least for the Pyrausta from Jamaica on Thymus, V1 on A3-6 is on a round pinaculumpinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
; compared to many other Spilomelinae and Pyraustinae, this is unusual.

The "anterior pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
with microsetae" from Solis (1999, 2011) is merely another name for the MD setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
. This character is more correctly defined as "MD1 and MSD1-2 setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
on pigmented pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
." These setaeseta:
a hairlike projection of the body wall that is articulated in a socket; compare to spine
are present in Lepidoptera (Stehr 1987) but may not be obvious unless the pinaculapinaculum:
a small, flat, or slightly elevated chitinized area bearing a seta or setae
are large.

On appearance, larvaelarva:
the stages between the egg and pupa of those insects having complete metamorphosis
of Pyrausta look like Achyra (Allyson 1981Allyson 1981:
Allyson, S. 1981. Last instar larvae of Pyraustini of America north of Mexico (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Canadian Entomologist 113: 463-518.). Thus it is important to examine Pyrausta larvae carefully and use caution if not from mints. Hostplant information does exist for many of the species, including those on other plant families.

Origin records

Genus species has been intercepted from the following locations:

Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gabon, Gambia, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, India, Israel, Jamaica, Japan (?), Jordan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Palestinian Territory, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Tanzania, Thailand, Tortola, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom of Great Britain and N. Ireland, US Virgin Islands, Viet Nam

Host records

Genus species has been intercepted on the following hosts:

Allium sp., Alstroemeria sp., Amaranthus caudatus, Amaranthus retroflexus, Amaranthus sp., Amaranthus spinosus, Amaranthus viridis, Annona muricata, Anthriscus cerefolium, Artemisia dracunculus, Artemisia sp., Betula sp., Borago officinalis, Brassica sp., Butia sp., Capsicum annuum, Carica papaya, Chamaemelum nobile, Chenopodium sp., Cichorium intybus, Cinnamomum verum, Cirsium setidens, Citrus sp., Corchorus sp., Coriandrum sativum, Coridothymus capitatus, Cucumis sativus, Cucumis sp., Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita sp., Eremurus sp., Eruca vesicaria, Eryngium sp., Erythrina berteroana, Erythrina sp., Eucalyptus sp., Gerbera sp., Gnetum sp., Hydrangea sp., Lablab purpureus, Lamiaceae, Lantana sp., Lathyrus sp., Lilium sp., Limonium sp., Lippia sp., Malus domestica, Mentha arvensis, Mentha longifolia, Mentha officinalis, Mentha piperita, Mentha sp., Mentha spicata, Momordica balsamina, Momordica charantia, Momordica sp., Monarda sp., Moringa oleifera, Musa sp., Nasturtium officinale, Nasturtium sp., Ocimum basilicum, Ocimum sanctum, Ocimum sp., Opuntia sp., Origanum majorana, Origanum sp., Origanum vulgare, Phaseolus sp., Phaseolus vulgaris, Piper sp., Portulaca oleracea, Psidium sp., Pterocarpus sp., Punica granatum, Rosmarinus officinalis, Rosmarinus sp., Rumex acetosa, Rumex sp., Ruta sp., Saccharum officinarum, Sageretia sp., Salvia officinalis, Salvia sp., Sechium edule, Solanum melongena, Solanum sp., Solanum tuberosum, Sophora secundiflora, Spinacia oleracea, Spinacia sp., Telfairia occidentalis, Thymus citriodorus, Thymus sp., Thymus vulgaris, Xanthosoma hastifolium, Zea mays, Ziziphus jujuba

Hosts listed here outside of the Lamiaceae need confirmation.