Along the Texas coast, rice stalk borer , Chilo plejadellus Zincken, caterpillars also lack dark spots, but have a pair continuous light brown to purplish stripes all along the sides of their bodies. Full grown larvae overwinter in cells in crop stubble and pupate in the spring. Mated female moths lay elliptical to oval eggs in clusters that appear like fish scales on the midrib of the upper surface of leaves. Adults emerge from pupae in about 10 days. Up to five generations can occur annually.
Caterpillars have chewing mouthparts.
Adults have siphoning mouths. Host plants include sugarcane, corn, sorghum, rice, pampas grass and other cultivated and wild tall grasses. On older plants, young larvae first tunnel into the leaf sheath and axil. On sorghum and some other plants, damaged areas develop a purple to reddish discoloration. Adults can be reared or collected at lights.