Green Hemlock Needleminer (Coleotechnites apicitripunctella)

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Superorder	Holometabola
Order	Lepidoptera
Superfamily	Gelechioidea
Family	Gelechiidae
Subfamily	Gelechiinae
Tribe	Litini
Genus	Coleotechnites

Scientific Name

Coleotechnites apicitripunctella

Common Name

baldcypress webworm

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

Yellowish green body with orange-brown head and prothoracic shield. Prothoracic shield with light gray anterior margin; many small, dark green spots conspicuous on pale body segments. Up to 7 mm.

Food

Eastern hemlock.

Life Cycle

One generation. Partly grown caterpillar overwinters in hollowed needle in its feeding nest. Mature caterpillar present in May and June.

Comments

The feeding habits and webbed nest (see below) of this caterpillar are similar to those of the brown hemlock needleminer, Coleotechnites macleodi. The two needleminers can be separated by their color. Freeman (1967) and Johnson and Lyon (1991) also have illustrated the damage caused by the green hemlock needleminer.