Fir Needle Inchworm (Eupithecia lariciata)

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Superorder	Holometabola
Order	Lepidoptera
Superfamily	Geometroidea
Family	Geometridae
Subfamily	Larentiinae
Tribe	Eupitheciini
Genus	Eupithecia

Scientific Name

Eupithecia lariciata

Common Name

larch pug

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

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.