Sesamia nonagrioides

Sesamia nonagrioides
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Sesamia
Species:	S. nonagrioides
Binomial name
	Sesamia nonagrioides; (Lefèbvre, 1827)
Synonyms
	Cossus nonagrioides Lefèbvre, 1827; Nonagria hesperica Rambur, 1837; Nonagria sacchari Wollaston, 1858; Tapinostola gracilis Rebel, 1899 (preocc. Nonagria gracilis Butler, 1880); Sesamia vuteria f. ciccarelli Mariani, 1934;

Sesamia nonagrioides, the Mediterranean corn borer, pink stalk borer or West African pink borer, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was described by Alexandre Louis Lefèbvre de Cérisy in 1827. It is found in Spain, southern France, Italy and on the Balkan Peninsula, as well as in north-western, south-western and western Africa.^[1]

The wingspan is 30–40 mm. The forewings are grey yellowish, marked with a marginal band and with rounded spots. The hindwings are white.^[2] There is a variable number of generations per year, ranging from two in southern France to up to four in Morocco.

The larvae feed on Phragmites communis and Arundo donax and probably also other grasses with thick stems.^[3] It is one of the most damaging pests of maize in the Mediterranean region. Larvae of the first generation are particularly destructive, because they tunnel the maize stem during the whole larval stage.^[4] The larvae are yellowish to brownish with a rust-coloured back and reach a length of 30–40 mm when full grown.