Without adequate scientific knowledge, even basic identification of moth species is difficult. For instance, an outbreak of the crop-damaging European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) was for a time misidentified as the Asian corn borer (Ostrinia farnacalis).
趙乃台說，台灣學術界對蛾類的知識不足，缺乏科學基礎，連最基本的蛾類辨識都有問題，一度把危害農作物的歐洲玉米螟誤認為亞洲玉米螟。