Pine Needle Sheathminer(Zelleria haimbachi)

From Bugwoodwiki

pine needle sheathminer 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: Yponomeutidae Genus: Zelleria Species: haimbachi Scientific Name Zelleria haimbachi Busck

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

Description

Mostly yellowish green body with rosy brown subdorsal stripe. Yellowish head, prothoracic shield, and anal plate (sometimes with rosy brown tinge). Very broad subdorsal stripe with small, light spots. Up to 14 mm.

Food

Jack and possibly other hard pines.

Life Cycle

One generation. Partly grown caterpillar overwinters in a mined needle. Mature caterpillar present from May to July.

Comments

After hatching, the caterpillar mines the base of a needle within the sheath and removes its frass, which typically is deposited by adjacent sheaths. The older caterpillar makes a feeding web around the bases of the needles where it feeds. Rose et al. (1999) have illustrated the feeding damage of this species.

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.