Fir Harlequin (Elaphria versicolor)

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Superorder	Holometabola
Order	Lepidoptera
Superfamily	Noctuoidea
Family	Noctuidae
Subfamily	Noctuinae
Genus	Elaphria

Scientific Name

Elaphria versicolor

Common Name

variegated midget

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

Brown and gray body with swollen T3 and A1, with light-colored abdominal patches of various sizes, and with distinctive hump on A8. Light brown head with narrow and broad, dark brown streaks on lobes and with narrow, curved line behind stemmata. White middorsal stripe expanded downward on A1, A4, and A8; broken, black spiracular stripe becoming solid and wider on A7 and A8. Up to 20 mm.

Food

Probably algae or lichens on bark of balsam fir, eastern hemlock, eastern larch, eastern red-cedar, pines, spruces, and other conifers; also occasionally foliage of these trees.

Life Cycle

Apparently two generations in southern New England, and two or three generations in southern New Jersey. Pupa overwinters in soil or debris. Mature caterpillar present from June to October.

Comments

Although this distinctive caterpillar may not eat the foliage of conifers regularly, it will eat needles in captivity. We have included the fir harlequin in this manual because we encountered it frequently.