Eastern Blackheaded Budworm(Acleris variana)

From Bugwoodwiki

eastern blackheaded budworm Photo by Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Archive, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Bugwood.org Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Hexapoda (including Insecta) Order: Lepidoptera Family: Tortricidae Genus: Acleris Species: variana Scientific Name Acleris variana (Fernald)

Contents 1 Description 2 Food 3 Life Cycle 4 Comments 5 References

Description

Greenish body with darkly marked head and prothoracic shield. Orange-brown head with two dark brown marks on each lobe. Greenish brown prothoracic shield with dark brown border laterally and posteriorly. Up to 15 mm.

Food

Balsam fir, eastern hemlock, and spruces.

Life Cycle

One generation. Egg overwinters on live needle. Mature caterpillar present from May to July.

Comments

Despite the common name of this caterpillar, neither the head nor the prothoracic shield is black, but mainly greenish, reddish, or dark brown. The form with a dark brown head and prothoracic shield is common in northern areas. When the caterpillar approaches maturity, it lives in a shelter of webbed needles on the new shoots. During outbreaks, this species noticeably injures foliage.

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.