Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Gelechiidae Scientific name Scrobipalpa aptatella | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Scrobipalpa Rank Species | |
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Similar Scrobipalpa, Scrobipalpa acuminatella, Scrobipalpa obsoletella, Scrobipalpa costella, Scrobipalpa atriplicella | ||
The tobacco stem borer (Scrobipalpa aptatella) is a moth of the Gelechiidae family. It is found in China (Xinjiang), Australia (where it has been recorded from Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia), New Zealand, Samoa, India, Indonesia (Sumatra), Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Palestine and in Africa, where it has been recorded from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
The wingspan is 8–11 mm. The forewings are ochreous, slightly fuscous-tinged, with darker irregular spots throughout, obscure and sometimes hardly traceable, not forming definite markings. The hindwings are light fuscous.
The larvae feed on Nicotiana tabacum, Nicotiana rustica, Datura species, Solanum dubium, Solanum melongena and Solanum tuberosum. They bore the stem of their host plant.