Brown Hemlock Needleminer(Coleotechnites macleodi)
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Description
Brownish body with dark brown head and prothoracic shield, the latter with a light gray anterior margin. Up to 7 mm.
Food
Eastern hemlock.
Life Cycle
One generation. Partly grown caterpillar overwinters in hollowed needle in its feeding nest. Mature caterpillar present in May and June.
Comments
The young caterpillar initially mines a series of adjacent needles and ties them loosely together with silk. In the spring, the caterpillar hollows the undersides of additional needles, which also are bound together with silk (see below). The pupa is formed in a silken tube within the feeding web. This species can be distinguished from the green hemlock needleminer, Coleotechnites apicitripunctella, by its brown color. Freeman (1967) also has illustrated the feeding damage and webbed nest.
Gallery
 Photo by Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Archive, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Bugwood.org |
References
Maier, C.T., C.R. Lemmon, J.M. Fengler, D.F. Schweitzer, and R.C. Reardon. 2004. Caterpillars on the Foliage of Conifers in the Northeastern United States. FHTET-2004-1. Morgantown, WV: USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team; 151 p.
