The rice leafroller, also widely called the rice leaffolder, is a small straw-colored moth whose caterpillars fold rice leaves lengthwise into tubes and feed inside, leaving white streaks. It's a major rice pest across Asia and Australia, but it isn't established in the mainland United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A small moth with a wingspan of about 1/2–3/4 in (13–18 mm). The wings are pale yellowish brown with dark wavy cross lines and darker outer edges.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Rice paddies
- Grassy fields
- Range
- Found in rice-growing areas across South, Southeast, and East Asia, plus Madagascar, Australia, and Pacific islands including American Samoa. It isn't established in the mainland United States; Hawaii appears on some range lists, but that record is uncertain.
- Preferred conditions
- Many populations are migratory: each summer, moths fly into Japan and Korea from farther south.
Behavior
- Diet
- Caterpillars feed mainly on rice, and also on other grass crops such as corn, wheat, sugarcane, and sorghum. They scrape away the green tissue, leaving pale, papery strips.
- Activity
- Adults rest on the undersides of leaves by day and become active around dusk.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Females lay eggs singly or in small groups on the undersides of leaves. The eggs hatch in 4–8 days, and the whole life cycle takes about five weeks.
- Larva
- Caterpillars are green and about 5/8 in (15–18 mm) long when full grown. They spin silk to hold a folded leaf shut, then move on to new leaves as they grow, and pupate inside a folded leaf.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
- Threats
- Heavy feeding on the top leaf of rice (the ) can cut yields by 10–50%.
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