Telchin licus

Telchin licus, the banana stem borer, is a moth of the Castniidae family. It is native to South America, where it is found from Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas, throughout the Amazon basin in Brazil and Peru. It has also been recorded as an introduced species in Hawaii.

This article is about the moth. For the banana stem borer weevil, see Cosmopolites.

Telchin licus
T. l. insularis, Trinidad
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Castniidae
Genus:
Telchin
Species:
T. licus
Binomial name
Telchin licus
(Drury, 1773)
Synonyms
  • Papilio licus Drury, 1773
  • Castnia licus (Drury, 1773)
  • Castnia licoides (Boisduval, 1875)
  • Castnia albomaculata Houlbert, 1917
  • Castnia chocoensis Hopp, 1925
  • Castnia insularis Houlbert, 1918
  • Castnia pauperata Strand, 1913
  • Castnia macularifascia Houlbert, 1917
  • Castnia sebai Houlbert, 1918
  • Castnia magdalena Joicey & Talbot, 1925
  • Castnia microsticta Rothschild, 1919
  • Castnia rubromaculata Houlbert, 1917
  • Castnia talboti Lathy, 1922

The length of the forewings is 64–80 mm. Adults are dark brown with bluish or greenish hues. There is a whitish-cream transverse band and an apical whitish spotted band on the forewing. The hindwings are dark brown with a whitish-cream band. The spots are red or reddish with the middle spots larger in size.

The larvae feed on Saccharum officinarum, Musa, Heliconia and Ichnosiphon species. It is considered a pest species. Young larvae make a small cavity and then tunnel into the heart of the cane of the host plant. They tunnel upwards and downwards, and create a shelter in the rootstock where they rest. Pupation takes place in the rootstock or at the base of the cane.[1]

Subspecies
  • Telchin licus licus (Brazil)
  • Telchin licus albomaculata (Houlbert, 1917) (Colombia, Peru)
  • Telchin licus chocoensis (Hopp, 1925) (Colombia)
  • Telchin licus insularis (Houlbert, 1918) (Trinidad)
  • Telchin licus laura (Druce, 1896) (Brazil)
  • Telchin licus licoidella (Strand, 1913) (Peru)
  • Telchin licus pauperata (Strand, 1913) (Surinam, French Guiana, Guyana)
  • Telchin licus magdalena (Joicey & Talbot, 1925) (Colombia)
  • Telchin licus microsticta (Rothschild, 1919) (Nicaragua)
  • Telchin licus rubromaculata (Houlbert, 1917) (Brazil, Bolivia)
  • Telchin licus talboti (Lathy, 1922) (Ecuador)
  • Telchin licus vorax Lamas, 1995 (Peru)
  • Telchin licus MHNT
  • Telchin licus - △ MHNT

References
  1. A synopsis of the Castniidae (Lepidoptera) of Trinidad and Tobago


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