Elasmopalpus lignosellus, the lesser cornstalk borer, was described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1848.

Adults are generally brownish with narrow and elongate forewings with oblique distal margins.

The hindwings are whitish with gray to brown anterior and distal margins.

The larvae feed on a wide range of plants but prefer grasses.

capitata, Cucumis melo, Cyperus esculentus, Zea mays, Vigna unguiculata, Phaseolus lunatus, Avena sativa, Pisum sativum, Arachis hypogaea, Capsicum annuum, Oryza sativa, Secale cereale, Sorghum bicolor, Glycine max, Sorghum sudanense, Saccharum officinarum, Ipomoea batatas, Lycopersicon esculentum, Brassica rapa and Triticum aestivum.