Eoreuma loftini, the Mexican rice borer, is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1917.[1] It is found in the southern United States, where it has been recorded from California, Arizona, Texas,[2] Louisiana and Florida. It is also found in Mexico.
| Eoreuma loftini | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Crambidae |
| Subfamily: | Crambinae |
| Tribe: | Haimbachiini |
| Genus: | Eoreuma |
| Species: | E. loftini |
| Binomial name | |
| Eoreuma loftini (Dyar, 1917) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The wingspan is about 12 mm. Adults are light tan. The forewings with a small black central dot and two faint, blackish longitudinal streaks.[3]
The larvae feed on various grasses, including sugarcane and rice. They bore into the stem or stalk of their host plant. The larvae are whitish with a light-colored head. Pupation takes place inside the stem or stalk.[4]