UNIT ED ST AT E S DE PART ME N T OF AGRI CUL T URE BULLETIN No. 783 Contrib u tion from the B u reau of E n tomology L . O . HOW ARD, Chief F SS O AL AP 'ul 14 1919 hin t n D . P O P W as g o , . c R E I N ER y , I H T HE RICE MOT . F CH I T T E N DE N By . H . , r c T ru ck- Cro Insec t Inves i ations E ntomologis t I n Cha g e f p t g . CON TE N TS . a P ge. t— r F ood habits fl r n r b Rep o ted i 'u ies w e s r —n Lif hi to y w A ss oci a ted in sec ts — w u r Q_ History and litera t e w Con trol mea su res m Su mmary m L iteratu re cited w — D INTRODUCTION . Amon of s roducts which oh g the insect enemies tored p have ‘ been in t or served recently this country , a small whi ish larva caterpillar Gora m ha l ni of the moth n/ cep o ca Stainton (Pl . I ) has attracted atten t i - ion by ts injuries . It resembles somewhat the better kn own fig E hes tia earn-t ll k no moth ( p e ' Wal ) . It has t been noted as a pest of no E ~ t importance , and has been given common or nglish name . As i is somewhat widely r eported a s destructive to stored r ice it may . 1911 s be called the rice moth Beginning with October, , complaint of damage by this insect were received froma firm manufactur a an ing chocolate in western Pennsylvania , and a year l ter from ' u firm m not other man facturing in the sa e State , but the species was fi 916 positively identi ed until 1 . NA TURE O F IN'UR'. The first correspondent of the Bureau of E ntomology who wrote ' ' ‘ of this insect stated that beans of c ac ao ( T heobroma; cacao) imported to b the from the Tropics were subject attack y larva . Apparently it 10440 9 ° — 19 U L L E T IN 783 U . 8 . P R or GR CU L U R . 2 B , DE A TMENT A I T E the s laid its eggs in beans , which are sometimes warehou ed for several months , in the country from which they were shipped . During this period of storageadditional generations of larvae are hatched which destroy large quantities of the cacao beans or render them unfit for sale . The rice moths have been found most numerous in the un older beans and also occur ab dantly in cocoa nibs , in cocoa in s powdered form , in refuse cocoa dust and in ground cacao shell , so that they may be said to feed on any form of the cacao bean from fi a or the shells to the nished or edible rticle , cocoa chocolate in d n s pow er , in cakes , and in co fection , whether the substance is sweet ened or unsweetened . L ater moths and lar v ae of this species were received in r ice from different sources which will be mentioned here after . This Species works in much the same manner as do the fig moth (E ph t u l es ia ca te la Walk . ) and the Indian - meal moth (Plodia in ter pnnotella form ing a still stronger thread than do these re a — owi n w n en a on of the r c e o 18 .t an d m t F I G 1 . iagra s h g i g i i h forms , . D m v t m t A er u rra n a n d B e er Corc ra c e ha lon ica . ( ft D t ( y p ) v ting the infested ma iago. ) I n teri al more closely . deed,this thread or webbing in the case of powdered cocoa becomes so dense that in close quarters the moths when emerging are scarcely a able to make their exit . As consequence of this and of the further e to fact that the food supply b comes too dry be eaten , many of the i s u r fi o in larvae perish . This tr e not only under a ti cial c nditions the ’ i n laboratory but has been noted manufacturers storerooms . DESCRIPTIV E . THE MOT H. ' the rice re While , as previously stated , moth resembles in certain spects some of our common moths which breed in stored cereals , dried fruits , and similar material , it does not belong to the same lepi o rous f a P rali d pte group , being a member of a dif erent f mily , the y d ae G alleriin ae , and subfamily , the , and closely related to a small group of moths which are best known as occurri ng in the combs of and B everidge ’ Antenna w s u scou s as al o nt w o r er s e hiti h f ; b 'i ith s me da k fuscous c ales . H ea d and T hom a' er a e u scous so e es w is uscou s or arker v y p l f , m tim hit h f , d F re w n er a e u s o s he e n r n a uscous . o s c u t s o e or les s c e f i g v y p l f , v i m i di t d by a r er uscous sc a n and w a en enc to suf us on o er th e w o e wn d k f li g , ith t d y f i v h l i g, e'cept along the dorsu m which remains of the pale ground - color ; in some s ec en s the ar er ar n s are almost a b sent in o ers er is a en enc p im d k m ki g , th th e t d y to or two rre u ar ran s erse a r nes one at the end of the ce the f m i g l t v d k li , ll, o er at a ou a the w n - en w so e ar s a n owar the ase th b t h lf i g l gth , ith m d k h di g t d b ; a more or les s di stinct dark spot occurs on the margin at the end of ea ch vein ; a s s w so ad ' u r f d r er sc a E ar 4— 2 m c a e u cou e e o a es . a t. 1 4 ili p l f , ith m mi t k l p m . n w n s uscous s n n w s us cous c a w a s a er Hi d i g , El f ; 9 hi i g hiti h f ; ili ith lightly p l d me and ne at e r as e. A b o n L e s a e uscou s li th i b g p l f . S'N ON 'M ' . 2 r r h l nic ain . R a onot E nt M Ma 2 Co c a c e o a St t . o. 2 . 2 1 8 a . 23 8 5 . y p , g , g , v , p , , M lis o la tes e ha lonioa S ain E nt Mo Ma 2— 17 e s b c t t . 2 17 3 p p , g , v , p . , 1865 . i r n a - M m 1 M l s ob l s eella R . a fi e s a tes t an li s . e . L e . 49 45 . p g H mp , p , p , pl , , g fi 2 1 1 23 l. 51 . 6 90 . ; p , g , T ineo sis e b ro ae D ar n I n i M n s h o I s sc t . e . 1 n 1 t m o 5 . 59 19 3 p y , . , v . , . , p , . T HE EGG . PI. 11. T he e s ha e a ear u s er are ar a e in s a e and a e at one end gg v p ly l t , v i bl h p , h v ' ‘ ni l s m wha like a of er n r T h r usua l a d ecided e o e t c a u s . e e s a e l y pp , th t t i f it gg su fic en l ar e to b e readi seen w ou the aid of a en s and rese e f i t y l g ly ith t l , mbl somewhat those of the Mediterran ean flou r moth ( E phestia knehniella h 'a d en s on a n een a ned T e e c t im i s h ve ot b obt i . PI A . III , . T he larva when fully developed b ears some resemblance to that of Plodia in t l T he su res of th e o n are s o ew a ore ronounce the erpnnc tel a .