Gray Spruce Looper (Caripeta divisata)

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	Ennomini
Genus	Caripeta

Scientific Name

Caripeta divisata

Common Name

gray forest looper

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

Mostly reddish brown body with low, transverse dorsal ridges and with light-colored lateral patches; variable body color. Brownish head marked in dark brown herringbone pattern on lobes. Multicolored middorsal stripe expanded posteriorly on segments into circular or diamond-shaped area; rear of segments with dorsal ridge that has small, paired tubercles. Uneven, yellowish subdorsal stripe infused with reddish brown and edged in dark brown. Broad, discontinuous, greenish white spiracular stripe (appearing as large spots before spiracles on A1 to A6) outlined above with very dark brown. Up to 35 mm.

Food

Balsam fir, eastern hemlock, eastern larch, northern white-cedar, spruces, and rarely pines.

Life Cycle

One generation. Pupa overwinters in soil or debris. Mature caterpillar present from August to October.

Comments

This caterpillar also has forms that are mostly brown or grayish brown. Among the various Caripeta species, the gray spruce looper has the broadest range of food plants. The caterpillars in this genus vary greatly in color and pattern; thus, their identification should be based upon reared adults.