Fir Needle Inchworm(Eupithecia lariciata)

From Bugwoodwiki

larch pug 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: Geometridae Genus: Eupithecia Species: lariciata Scientific Name Eupithecia lariciata (Freyer)

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

Description

Slender, yellowish brown body marked with mostly purplish stripes, middorsal one usually expanded into triangles; variable amount of purple on body. Grayish yellow head with darkly marked lobes. Middorsal stripe expanded into triangle on some segments and joined to band around A1 to A5 or A6; subdorsal stripe of varying distinctness. Broken spiracular stripe; brownish subspiracular stripe; anal plate trimmed with light yellow. Up to 14 mm.

Food

Balsam fir, eastern hemlock, eastern larch, spruces, and rarely other conifers.

Life Cycle

One generation. Pupa overwinters in soil or debris. Mature caterpillar present from June to October.

Comments

The fir needle inchworm, which also is called the larch pug, is a Holarctic species that occurs in Eurasia and across North America. In Europe, it eats mainly larch. Because the fir needle inchworm is so variable in color and apparently has mature caterpillars over a period of 5 months, it deserves additional study to determine if it represents just one species. In North America, it previously was known as Eupithecia luteata.

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.