THE EUROPEAN CORN BORER AND ITS CONTROL. 6 



State, it should be stated that during 1917 a total of 2,806,000 bushels 

 of field corn were grown in the State which were worth $6,033,000 ac- 

 cording to the prices prevailing the 1st of the following December. This 

 is in addition to the value of the sweet corn, fodder corn and popcorn 

 produced in the State. Aside from the national importance of restrict- 

 ing the spread of this dangerous insect, the State of Massachusetts should 

 take all measures to protect the revenue obtained from its corn crop. 



There are several other sjjecies of destructive corn borers known to 

 attack corn in the United States, the most important of which are the 

 larger cornstalk borer, Diatraa zeacolella Dyar, and the lesser cornstalk 

 borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus Zeller. These two species occur in the 

 South, and even to some extent in the northern States, but have never 

 become permanently established in Massachusetts or any other State 

 with a similar climate. They are doubtless unable to withstand the 

 severe winter conditions, and this characteristic has the effect of greatly 

 limiting their range of^istribution. The European corn borer, however, 

 is not limited in its range by ordinary climatic conditions, judging from 

 its range of distribution in the Old World, and from its behavior to date 

 in the infested area of Massachusetts. The species would thus be able 

 to adapt itself to all parts of Massachusetts and ultimately to the entire 

 country. 



In Massachusetts the only native stalk borer attacking corn is Papai- 

 pema nitela Gn., which more frequently infests the stalks of potatoes, 

 tomatoes and numerous common weeds. This insect, however, does not 

 normally occur in sufficient numbers to cause serious loss. During the 

 past two seasons, however, it has been rather more abundant than usual 

 and because of the fact that its injuries to corn superficially resemble 

 those caused by the European corn borer, much of the damage really 

 caused bv the latter has been attributed to the native stalk borer. 



SYNONOMY. 



The species was first described and figured by Jacob Hiibner (2) in 

 1796. He described the male and female as separate species, — the 

 male as Pyralis riubilalis, and the female as Pyralis silacealis. Owing to 

 this fact the synonomy of the species in Europe is somewhat confusing. 



Haworth (3) in 1811 refers to the species as Pyralis glabralis. 



Treitschke (4) in 1829, and Duponchel (5) in 1831, adopted the name 

 Pyralis silacealis Hubn., although recognizing that the Pyralis nuhilalis 

 of Hiibner was the male of Pyralis silacealis Hiibn. 



Guenee (7) in 1854 accepts the species as being identical with the 

 Botys eupulinalis illustrated in the Icones Insectorum of Clerck (1) in 

 1759. A study of the figure referred to in Clerck's work, however, con- 

 vinced later workers that it could not be the same insect. Nevertheless, 

 this error by Guenee led to the acceptance of Botys as the generic name 

 by several succeeding workers. 



