First report of Chilo partellus in Israel
The NPPO of Israel recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the presence of Chilo partellus (Lepidoptera: Crambidae – spotted stem borer) on its territory. The pest was found in the north of the country on maize and sorghum. A survey is being carried out to determine the current status of C. partellus in Israel.
C. partellus is a pest of maize (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare), sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), rice (Oryza sativa) and millets (Pennisetum spp.). It also feeds on several wild Poaceae (e.g. Pennisetum purpureum, Sorghum arundinaceum, Sorghum sudanense). Larvae feed on leaves and tunnel within plant stalks, sometimes causing economic damage to crops. Its known geographical distribution is as follows:
EPPO region: Israel.
Africa: Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Reunion, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India (Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal), Indonesia (Java), Israel, Japan, Lao, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Yemen.
Sources
NPPO of Israel (2011-09).
CABI (1989) Distribution Maps of Pests no. 184. CABI, Wallingford (GB).