Gray Pine Looper (Iridopsis vellivolata)

Taxonomy

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

Scientific Name

Iridopsis vellivolata

Common Name

large purplish gray

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

Reddish brown and gray body with lighter patches dorsally and laterally; variable body color. Reddish brown head with small knob on top of lobes and with grayish white spots usually coalesced into horizontal streak on lower head; prothoracic shield mottled with reddish brown except in center. Low, transverse dorsal ridge (especially on A1 to A6) that has small, paired tubercles. Greenish yellow middorsal stripe trimmed with grayish white and interrupted by grayish white rectangles that connect to bands of similar color. Wide, discontinuous, grayish white spiracular stripe, often appearing as large spots. Up to 30 mm.

Food

Pines; less commonly balsam fir, eastern larch, and spruces.

Life Cycle

One generation in New England, and apparently two in southern New Jersey. Pupa overwinters in soil or debris. Mature caterpillar present from June to September.

Comments

The gray pine looper has forms with considerably more gray (Ives and Wong 1988), which apparently accounts for the common name. Some color forms of this caterpillar are similar to Caripeta species, but the pattern of crochets of Iridopsis and Caripeta species differs. The gray pine looper has its crochets in one group, whereas species of Caripeta have their crochets in two groups. The gray pine looper, which was formerly was known as Anacamptodes vellivolata, appears to mimic the sheaths of pine needles.