Guide to insects, arthropods, and molluscs of northern Dogon country

larvae and caterpillars

maggots (fly larvae) 60658

notes: e.g. in manure

Chloropidae

frit-fly larvae 60420

notes: in millet and sorghum stems

Therevidae (stiletto fly) larva 60421

records: known at Beni

notes: long and very thin, white, segmented; bites

specmn 2006_049

resource: J. Lawrence, A. Hastings, M. Dallwitz, T. Paine. 1995. Beetle larvae of the world. CD-ROM.

Buprestidae: larvae wood-boring, legless, with large flat heads

Carabidae, Cicindelinae (tiger beetle) larva 60415

notes: black & white, carnivorous

specmn 2005_053 (larva)

Curculionidae (weevil) larva 60416

notes: small white grubs in millet roots

specmn 2005_048

Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae

cetoniid larva 1 60417

notes: in manure, reddish head

specmn 2004_052

ethnozoology: not eaten

cetoniid larva 2 60418

notes: in rotting wood

specmn 2004_036

ethnozoology: eaten by some Dogon

Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae

dynastid beetle larva 60632

specmn 2010_045

Tenebrionidae

tenebrionid larva 60419

notes: long and thin, cylindrical, white; thorax has legs esp. in front

unidentified family

Lep. larva 1 60429

notes: spotted, found in fallen Acacia nilotica pods

specmn 2010_004

Lep. larva 2 60428

notes: in wood

specmn 2009_002

Lep. larva 3 60430

notes: long, reddish, said to eat millet roots

Arctiidae (larvae usually hairy "woolly bears", form spirals when threatened)

arctiid larva 1 60431

notes: small hairy arctiid caterpillar sp. in grass

specmn 2005_067

arctiid larva 2 60432

notes: hairy, feeds on peanut greens

specmn 2010_042

arctiid larva 3 60433

notes: blackish, feeds on grasses including millet sprouts

specmn 2010_045

Lymantriidae (tufted hairs break off easily and are very irritating to skin)

Noctuidae (see also under "crop pests" below)

some spp. have larvae in soil that eat roots of plants, mostly nocturnal, hard shiny pupae

Heliocheilus albipunctella, millet head-miner 60425

notes: bores into millet grain spikes in a spiral path

three specimens of such boring larvae (multiple spp):

2006_008a (fairly large, dark)

2006_008b (small, dark)

2006_008c (small, whitish)

Noctuinae (in one version)

Spodoptera exempta, African armyworm 60434

notes: march in large numbers from grassland into crops, feeds on early stages of cereal crops (millet, sorghum, maize, rice, wheat); larvae are green or brown in solitary form, but black with yellow stripes in gregarious form; eggs laid in clusters on leaves; the final instar of larvae burrow in ground, form soil cocoons, and emerge as moths (who live for 10 days)

Spodoptera frugiperda, fall armyworm

notes: very similar to S. exempta

Heliothinae

Helicoverpa armigera, old-world bollworm

Nymphalidae

larvae are hairy and spiky with projections on head; chrysalids have shiny spots

Pieridae

Papilionidae

larvae have a unique organ (osmeterium) behind head, usually hidden, but projected outward when threatened, emitting smelly secretions

Psychidae

psychid larva 60435

notes: with sheath, in Acacia tortilis

specmns 2004_037, 2006_020

psychid caterpillar 60436

notes: small psychid caterpillar, often on plant stems

specmn 2006_059

Pyralidae (snout-moths)

Coniesta ignefuscalis caterpillar (millet stem-borer) 60437

notes: bores through millet stems

Saturniidae

Gonimbrasia sp. caterpillar (G. hecate or G. occidentalis) 60438

records: Anda, Kubewel, Yendouma

notes: large and brilliantly colored

specmn 2006_058

ethnozoology: caterpillars eaten by some Dogon (Yendouma)

Sphingidae

Agrius convolvuli (hawk moth), for adult see Lepidoptera section above

a) chrysalis 60440

notes: brown, sleek-skinned, footless, with thin "handle" emerging from tail, row of dark spots on each side, in ground (often in manure)

specmn 2005_052, 2009_003

b) caterpillar 60439

notes: with feet, row of dark spots on each side, horn-like appendage above tail, often in earth

specmn 2005_052

[note: Dogon do not connect the subterranean larva, the caterpillar, or the adult hawk moth as life-stages of the same insect]

unidentified sphingid larva 60441

note: large, black, in manure

specmn 2005_066

(Saturniidae or Sphingidae)

small caterpillar 60442

specmn 2006_070, cf. 2004_037, photo

ant-lion larvae 60443

notes: make traps for insect prey in the form of shallow holes in soft sand; the prey fall into it and are seized in the larva’s conspicuous pincers; more widely known to Dogon as an insect used by fortune-tellers to make their biceps quiver

specmn 2006_040

website with videos: http://www.antlionpit.com

crop pests

compiled mostly from websites and literature about African crop pests; geographical distributions of these species not fully known, many are likely absent from the Dogon zone; some spp. listed are already covered in sections above (see especially "larvae" section, also Orthoptera, Coleoptera groups Meloidae and Scarabaeidae/Cetoniinae, and Hemiptera)

Busseola fusca (maize stem-borer, Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Amphipyrinae), attacks maize and sorghum, occurs esp. in high altitudes

Chilo partellus (spotted stem-borer, Lepidoptera, Pyralidae, Crambinae); introduced, E Africa but spreading, attacks sorghum, maize; low and mid altitudes

Coniesta ignefusalis (pearl millet stem-borer, Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) attacks pearl millet, also sorghum and maize; esp. Sahel

Contarinia sorghicola (sorghum midge//cecidomyie du sorgho, Diptera, Cecidomyiidae adult resembles mosquito), larvae feed on developing ovaries of sorghum grains

Dydercus völkeri (cotton-stainer, Hemiptera, Pyrrhocoridae), attacks flowers and continues in milky stage

Geromyia penniseti (millet grain midge)

Heliocheilus albipunctella (pearl millet head-miner), attacks pearl millet [Lepidoptera, Noctuidae; bore in a spiral path, destroying florets or grain]

Longuinguis sacchari (sugar cane aphid), attacks sorghum

Orseolia oryzivora (African rice gall midge)

Pachnoda interrupta (millet beetle)

Psalydolytta fusca (pearl millet blister beetle, Coleoptera, Meloidae), attacks pearl millet [reported as a major millet pest for Mali]

Psalydolytta vestita (cf. preceding, also reported as a millet pest in Mali)

Rhopalosiphum maidis (maize aphid), attacks maize

Rhyniptia infuscata (Scarabaeidae, Rutelini, Anomalini): nocturnal beetle, recorded as a locally important pest on millet flowers in Niger, fought by farmers using night fires; also reported as sorghum pest in Senegal, and as a pest on maize; larvae are in roots

Sesamia calamistis, esp. lowland forests

Spodoptera exempta (African armyworm), cereals, migratory, E and NE Africa

gall midges (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae): millet grain midge Geromyia penniseti, sorghum midge Contarinia sorghicola, and African rice gall midge Orseolia oryzivora.

Prostephanus truncatus (larger grain borer), recently introduced, attacks stored maize

Sitophilus spp. (cereal weevils), attacks stored sorghum, maize

Sitophilus zeamais (maize weevil)

Sitotroga cerealella (angoumois grain moth), Coleoptera, Bostrichidae) attacks stored sorghum, maize

stored legumes

Acanthoscelides obtectus (common bean weevil)

Zabrotes subfasciatus (Mexican bean weevil)

Callosobruchus maculatus (cowpea weevil)

Cosmopolites sordidus (banana weevil)

Maruca vitrata (cowpea pod borer)

Megalurothips sjostedti (cowpea flower thrips)

Callosobruchus maculatus (cowpea weevil, Col. Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae)

Helicoverpa armigera (African bollworm, Lep. Noctuidae, Heliothinae), attacks cotton, cowpea, etc.

Aphis craccivora (cowpea aphid)

Anoplocnemis, Clavigralla, Riptorus (pod-suckers, Hemiptera, Coreidae)

beans

Ophiomyia phaseola, O. spencerella, O. centrosematis (bean stem maggot), E&S Africa

Plutella xylostella (diamondback moth)

Prostephanus truncatus (introduced)

Ophiomyia spencerella

T. Abate, A. van. Huis, and J. K. O. Ampofo. 2000. "Pest management strategies in traditional agriculture: an African perspective." Annual Review of Entomology 45:631-59.

S. Krall, O. Youm, and S. A. Kogo. "Panicle insect pest damage and yield loss in pearl millet". http://ispi-lit.cirad.fr/text/Krall95a.htm

Jago, N. D. 1993. Millet pests of the Sahel: biology, monitoring and control. Chatham UK: Natural Resources Institute. 66 pp. ISBN 0-85954-349-8.

Matthews, M. and N. D. Jago. 1993. Millet pests of the Sahel: an identification guide. Chatham UK: Natural Resources Institute. (80 p.) ISBN 0-85954-331-5. [weeds, diseases, birds, and especially insects]