It is found in India, Taiwan,[2] Bhutan and Sri Lanka, as well as on Sulawesi, Borneo, Sangir Island and the Moluccas.

[3] The larvae bore into and feed on the stems of various grass family plants including sugarcane, rice and maize.

The forewings of the adult are rather variable, being yellowish or brownish with silvery dots, either scattered or arranged in two transverse bands.

On rice, the symptoms are similar to those caused by other stem borers, with death of the central tissue and failure of the flowerhead to develop properly, with the emerging panicles whitish and empty.

Subsequently, from July to October, it targets the Gurdaspur borer (Bissetia steniellus), and between November and January, it mainly attacks the gold-fringed rice stemborer.