Caterpillars on the Foliage of Conifers in the Northeastern United States

From Bugwoodwiki

Chris T. Maier, Carol R. Lemmon, and Jeff M. Fengler

Department of Entomology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Dale F. Schweitzer, NatureServe

Richard C. Reardon, USDA Forest Service

USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station FHTET-2004-01, March 2004

For additional copies of this publication or a CD-ROM of it, contact Richard Reardon in Morgantown, West Virginia (Phone: 304-285-1566, email: rreardon@fs.fed.us).

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Life Cycles and Food Plants
• Morphology
• Collecting and Rearing
• Photography
• Coverage and Use
• Family and Species Accounts

Bagworm (Family Psychidae)

• Evergreen Bagworms (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis)

Ermine Moths (Family Yponomeutidae)

• Red Pine Tubemaker (Ocnerostoma species (undescribed))

• Pine Needle Sheathminer (Zelleria haimbachi)

Argyresthiids(Family Argyresthiidae)

• Canadian Arborvitae Leafminer (Argyresthia canadensis)

• Arborvitae Leafminer (Argyresthia thuiella)

Casebearers and Relatives (Family Coleophoridae)

• Larch Casebearer (Coleophora laricella)

Gelechiids(Family Gelechiidae)

• Orange Larch Tubemaker (Coleotechnites laricis)

• Orange Spruce Needleminer (Coleotechnites piceaella)

• Common Juniper Leafminer (Coleotechnites gibsonella)

• Red-cedar Leafminer (Coleotechnites albicostatus)

• Brown Arborvitae Leafminer (Coleotechnites thujaella)

• Brown Hemlock Needleminer (Coleotechnites macleodi)

• Green Hemlock Needleminer (Coleotechnites apicitripunctella)

• Juniper Webworm (Dichomeris marginella)

• Pine Needleminer (Exoteleia pinifoliella)

Leafrollers and Fruitworms(Family Tortricidae)

• Larch Tubemaker (Spilonota laricana)

• Spruce Budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana)

• Pitch Pine Budworm (Choristoneura pinus maritima)

• White-lined Leafroller (Amorbia humerosana)

• Eastern Blackheaded Budworm (Acleris variana)

• Fall Spruce Needle Moth (Argyrotaenia occultana)

• Pine Tube Moth (Argyrotaenia pinatubana)

• Jack Pine Tube Moth (Argyrotaenia tabulana)

• Three-streaked Sparganothis (Sparganothis tristriata)

• Green Needleworm (Clepsis persicana)

• Spruce Needleminer (Taniva albolineana)

• European Spruce Needleminer (Epinotia nanana)

• Spruce Bud Moth (Zeiraphera canadensis)

• Purple-striped Shootworm (Zeiraphera unfortunana)

• Pale Juniper Webworm (Aethes rutilana)

Pyralids(Family Pyralidae)

• Pine Webworm (Pococera robustella)

Inchworms, Measuringworms, and Loopers(Family Geometridae)

• Fringed Looper (Campaea perlata)

• Cleft-headed Looper (Biston betularia)

• Saddleback Looper (Ectropis crepuscularia)

• Dash-lined Looper (Protoboarmia porcelaria)

• White Slant (Tetracis cachexiata)

• Juniper Geometer (Patalene olyzonaria puber)

• Pine Looper (Hypagyrtis species)

• Gray Spruce Looper (Caripeta divisata)

• Northern Pine Looper (Caripeta piniata)

• Brown Pine Looper (Caripeta angustiorata)

• Gray Pine Looper (Iridopsis vellivolata)

• Morrison's Pero (Pero morrisonaria)

• Fall Hemlock Looper (Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria)

• Spring Hemlock Looper (Lambdina athasaria)

• Pitch Pine Looper (Lambdina pellucidaria)

• False Pine Looper (Nepytia pellucidaria)

• Festive Pine Looper (Nepytia species (undescribed))

• False Hemlock Looper (Nepytia canosaria)

• Yellow-lined Conifer Looper (Cladara limitaria)

• Pine Powder Moth (Eufidonia convergaria)

• Powder Moth (Eufidonia notataria)

• Green Larch Looper (Macaria sexmaculata)

• Owen's Larch Looper (Macaria oweni)

• Jack Pine Looper (Macaria marmorata)

• Bicolored Angle (Macaria bicolorata)

• Blurry Chocolate Angle (Macaria transitaria)

• Granite Moth (Macaria granitata)

• Red-headed Inchworm (Macaria bisignata)

• White Pine Angle (Macaria pinistrobata)

• Minor Angle (Macaria minorata)

• Hemlock Angle (Macaria fissinotata)

• Spruce Fir Looper (Macaria signaria dispuncta)

• Many-lined Angle (Macaria multilineata)

• Curve-lined Angle (Digrammia continuata)

• Red-striped Juniper Looper (Thera juniperata)

• Juniper Looper (Eupithecia interruptofasciata)

• Taylor's Cedar Looper (Eupithecia intricata taylorata)

• Small Pine Looper (Eupithecia palpata)

• Fir Needle Inchworm (Eupithecia lariciata)

• Fletcher's Larch Looper (Eupithecia fletcherata)

• Transverse-banded Looper (Hydriomena divisaria)

• White-fringed Emerald (Nemoria mimosaria)

Hairstreaks, Elfins, Blues, and Coppers(Family Lycaenidae)

• Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus)

• Hessel's Hairstreak (Callophrys hesseli)

• Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon)

Tent Caterpillars and Lappet Moths(Family Lasiocampidae)

• Larch Tolype (Tolype laricis)

Giant Silkworms(Family Saturniidae)

• Pine Devil (Citheronia sepulcralis)

• Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis imperialis)

• Larch Silkworm (Hyalophora columbia columbia)

Hornworms(Family Sphingidae)

• Northern Pine Sphinx (Lapara bombycoides)

• Northern Heath Sphinx (Sphinx poecila)

Tussock Moths (Family Lymantriidae)

• Northern Conifer Tussock Moth (Dasychira plagiata)

• White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma intermedia)

• Rusty Tussock Moth (Orgyia antiqua nova)

• Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar)

Cutworms, Armyworms, and Kin(Family Noctuidae)

• Pine False Looper (Zale duplicata)

• Washed-out Zale (Zale metatoides)

• Gray Spring Zale (Zale submediana)

• Gray-banded Zale (Zale squamularis)

• Oblique Zale (Zale obliqua)|Oblique Zale (Zale obliqua)|Oblique Zale (Zale obliqua)

• Buchholz's Zale (Zale buchholzi)

• Brown-spotted Zale (Zale helata)

• Northeastern Pine Zale (Zale curema)

• Abstruse False Looper (Syngrapha abstrusa)

• Angulated Cutworm (Syngrapha rectangula)

• Comstock's Sallow (Feralia comstocki)

• Red-marked Caterpillar (Feralia jocosa)

• Major Sallow (Feralia major)

• Lemmer's Pinion (Lithophane lemmeri)

• Nameless Pinion (Lithophane innominata)

• Woodgrain (Morrisonia latex)

• Confused Woodgrain (Morrisonia confusa)

• White Pine Cutworm (Xestia badicollis)

• Variable Climbing Caterpillar (Xestia elimata)

• Spruce Harlequin (Palthis angulalis)

• Fir Harlequin (Elaphria versicolor)

• Tufted Spruce Caterpillar (Panthea acronyctoides)

• Tufted White Pine Caterpillar (Panthea furcilla)

• Lanceolate Dagger Moth (Acronicta lanceolaria)

• Early Polypogon (Polypogon cruralis)

Glossary of Specialized Terms

Helpful Litterature

This identification guide is dedicated to Annette F. Braun and T.N. Freeman, who did so much to improve our understanding of tiny moths and their caterpillars.

The caterpillars shown on the cover are (in clockwise order, from upper left): the spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana), the festive pine looper (Nepytia species [undescribed]), the Comstock’s sallow (Feralia comstocki), and the larch silkworm (Hyalophora columbia columbia).

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