Scientific name

Naranga aenescens (Moore)

What it does

Young larvae of semiloopers scrape the tissues from leaf blades, while mature larvae feed on leaf edges to create notches.

Why and where it occurs

Heavily fertilized crops favor the development of green semiloopers.

Green semiloopers are found in wetland environments. They are abundant during the rainy season. The adult moths hide at the base of the plants in rice fields or in grassy areas during daytime and are active at night. Prior to pupation, the older larvae fold a rice leaf and secure it with silk to form a pupal chamber.

 

How to identify

Damage symptoms caused by green semiloopers include:

• Scraped leaves exposing the lower epidermis
• Damaged leaf edges

Its feeding damage is similar to damage caused by rice green hairy caterpillar. To confirm the cause of problem, check for presence of semilooper:

• spherical eggs
• light green larvae feeding on rice leaves

How to manage

Semiloopers are generally managed by natural biological control agents: small trichogrammatid wasps, ichneumonid, braconid, elasmid, eulophid and chalcid wasps, and spiders

Learn more

View full fact sheet:
Green semilooper on IRRI Rice Knowledge Bank