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March 2013. A member in Sri Lanka asked what was the correct name of the Yellow stem borer – a pest of paddy. Was it Tryporhyza incertulas or Scirpophaga incertulas? In recent literature it seemed to be S. incertulas, belonging to the family Crambidae.
It is Scirpophaga incertulas(Walker). Some do refer to it as Tryporysa incertulas (Walker) (Tryporhysa is a mis-spelling), but Tryporysais considered a synonym of Scirpophaga.
This species used to be placed in the family Pyralidae, but that family has now been split into two: Pyralidae and Crambidae, so that Scirpophagais correctly placed in Crambidae.
Full details on Pyraloidea taxonomic placements (including incertulas) can be checked on the Globiz Pyraloidea database at http://globiz.pyraloidea.org/. For incertulas the higher taxonomic placement is currently as follows:
Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae, Schoenobiinae. The most useful “recent” taxonomic literature on this species is:
Lewvanich, A. 1981 a: A revision of the Old World species of Scirpophaga (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology series, London 42(4): 185-298.
wherein is a full taxonomic history of incertulas.
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