Purple-striped Shootworm (Zeiraphera unfortunana)

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Superorder	Holometabola
Order	Lepidoptera
Superfamily	Tortricoidea
Family	Tortricidae
Subfamily	Olethreutinae
Tribe	Eucosmini
Genus	Zeiraphera

Scientific Name

Zeiraphera unfortunana

Common Name

purple-striped shootworm

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

Plump body with contrasting broad areas of purplish brown and light brown. Orange head; brownish prothoracic shield with darkest brown on posterior half and with light anterior margin; dark brown thoracic legs. Purplish brown dorsum and broad spiracular stripe, both contrasting with broad, light brown subdorsal stripe; margin of dorsum with row of light brown spots; apparent indentations in subdorsal stripe. Supraspiracular spots ringed in brown; dark brown spiracles. Up to 10 mm.

Food

White spruce, especially in exposed areas; uncommonly other spruces and balsam fir.

Life Cycle

One generation. Egg overwinters near base of shoot with new growth. Mature caterpillar present from May to July.

Comments

The feeding habits of this species and the spruce bud moth, Zeiraphera canadensis, are similar. The purple-striped shootworm also can be a pest in plantations of white spruce.