What is "achatodes zeae"

Spindleworm \Spin"dle*worm`\, n. (Zo["o]l.) The larva of a noctuid mmoth ( Achatodes ze[ae]) which feeds inside the stalks of corn (maize), sometimes causing much damage. It is smooth, with a black head and tail and a row of black dots across each segment.

The Elder Shoot Borer Moth or Spindle Worm (Achatodes zeae) is a moth species of the Noctuidae family. The species has been known to taxonomists since at least 1841 but gained notoriety in 1927, when many of the species were found boring into the shoots of the common elder bush ( Sambucus nigra) in Wisconsin, USA.