European Spruce Needleminer (Epinotia nanana)

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Superorder	Holometabola
Order	Lepidoptera
Superfamily	Tortricoidea
Family	Tortricidae
Subfamily	Olethreutinae
Tribe	Eucosmini
Genus	Epinotia

Scientific Name

Epinotia nanana

Common Name

European spruce needle miner

Maier, C.T.; Lemmon, C.R.; Fengler, J.M.; Schweitzer, D.F.; Reardon, R.C.; Caterpillars on the Foliage of Conifers in the Northeastern United States. Morgantown, WV. USDA Forest Service. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. FHTET-2004-01. March 2004. 151 p.

Description

Light brown body with dark brown head, prothoracic shield, and thoracic legs. Prothoracic shield with a light brown anterior margin; variably brownish anal plate. Up to 9 mm.

Food

Red, white, and other spruces.

Life Cycle

One generation. Nearly full-grown caterpillar overwinters in mined needle. Mature caterpillar present in May and June.

Comments

In spring, the caterpillar mines needles that it attaches to twigs with silk. Unlike the spruce needleminer, Taniva albolineana, this species usually forms its pupa in a cocoon that is located in the debris beneath the tree. Freeman (1967), Johnson and Lyon (1991), and Rose and Lindquist (1994) have shown examples of its damage. As the common name suggests, this needleminer was introduced from Europe. In North America, its preferred food is the introduced Norway spruce, Picea abies.