Pale Juniper Webworm(Aethes rutilana)

From Bugwoodwiki

pale juniper webworm 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: Aethes Species: rutilana Scientific Name Aethes rutilana (Hübner)

Contents 1 Description 2 Food 3 Life Cycle 4 Comments 5 Gallery 6 References

Description

Dull yellow body with orange-brown head and prothoracic shield. Up to 11 mm.

Food

Common juniper.

Life Cycle

One generation. Caterpillar overwinters in silken shelter on a twig. Mature caterpillar present from May to July.

Comments

After hatching, this caterpillar mines needles. It spends the winter in a silk-lined, frass-covered case that is attached to a branch. In spring, the caterpillar webs foliage where it feeds (see below). The feeding nest typically has dead, often mined needles and frass in the center. This species sometimes infests native and non-native junipers in landscaped areas.

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.