Exotic
Tetramoera schistaceana (Snellen) (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Enarmoniini)
Common names: gray sugarcane borer, sugarcane shoot borer
FWL: 4.5-7.0 mm
Forewings are grayish brown with numerous longitudinal tan, gray, and brown lines. In fresh individuals the ocellusocellus:
forewing pattern element - an ovoid region anterior to the tornus; adult head - a simple insect "eye" located dorsal to the compound eye 
is outlined faintly in black and has numerous strong black dashes. Males lack a forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
. The hindwings are brown.
Male genitalia are characterized by dense clusters of long setae at the dorsaldorsal:
upper, to the top, on the back 
apexapex:
the point furthest removed from the base or at the end of the costal area 
of the tegumentegumen:
dorsal section of the transverse ring in male genitalia; often heavily sclerotized 
; valvaevalvae:
plural of "valva"
with a large basal lobe, giving the valvaevalvae:
plural of "valva" a distinctly bifurcate appearance; and a robust, stout phallusphallus:
the male intromittent organ (penis); see "aedeagus" 
. Female genitalia are characterized by a weakly sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened; usually in reference to larval structures or adult genitalia 
sterigma and a signumsignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
present in the corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
as a scobinatescobinate:
rasplike
patch.
The following account is summarized from Williams (1953)Williams (1953):
Williams, J. R. 1953. The larvae and pupae of some important Lepidoptera. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 43: 691-701..
Last instar larvae are approximately 25 mm long with a pale whitish abdomen. The head is dark brown. Distinguishing features include: pinaculapinacula:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae
small and pigmented; abdominal SD1 and SD2 setae on same pinaculapinacula:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae; L1 seta longer than L3 on abdomen; SV pinaculapinacula:
flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae trisetose on A7 and bisetose on A9; anal combanal comb:
a toothed structure on the last abdominal segment used to eject frass away from the feeding larva; also termed "anal fork" 
absent.
Detailed figures of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are available in Williams (1953)Williams (1953):
Williams, J. R. 1953. The larvae and pupae of some important Lepidoptera. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 43: 691-701..
Seven Tetramoera species are present in Asia and Australasia, all with similar wing patterns. One more species occurs in Madagascar. A genitalic dissection can be used to confirm identity.
The following account is summarized from BSESBSES:
BSES. [unspecified]. Dossier on Tetramoera schistaceana as a pest of sugarcane. https://silo.tips/download/fig-1-tetramoera-schistaceana-damage-symptoms-nader-sallam-bses [accessed 24 Jan 2021]..
Females lay eggs singly or in small batches on leaves and leaf sheaths. Larvae tunnel into stems of young plants and create irregular tunnels near the surface. Larvae may also feed on leaves. Pupation occurs in a cocoon spun in a hole in the leaf sheath. Larval damage is characterized by distorted shoots, death of the meristem, and broken stems.
Larvae of T. schistaceana feed primarily on sugarcane and are considered a major pest of sugarcane in Asia.
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Miscanthus sp. | Poaceae | Plantwise |
| Saccharum officinarum | Poaceae | Mountia 1934; Williams 1953Williams 1953: Williams, J. R. 1953. The larvae and pupae of some important Lepidoptera. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 43: 691-701.; MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.; Diakonoff 1968a; Kalshoven 1981Kalshoven 1981: Kalshoven, L. G. E. 1981. The pests of crops in Indonesia. Ichtiar Baru-Van Hoeve, Jakarta. [Revised by van der Laan, P. A., Rothschild, G. L. H.]. |
| Saccharum spontaneum | Poaceae | Plantwise |
View full screen host table here
Tetramoera schistaceana is distributed throughout Asia (China, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Vietnam, and several smaller islands). Diakonoff (1967) lists T. schistaceana as present in Madagascar and Hawaii but these records could not be confirmed. No vouchers of Tetramoera from Hawaii could be located in the Hawaii Department of Agriculture collection, portions of which were acquired from the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association.
Larvae of T. schistaceana are occasionally intercepted at U.S. ports of entry on sugarcane originating from Asia.
