The caterpillars grow to about 25 mm long. In color, they vary from light green to a dark brownish green. Light green caterpillars have white lines running down the body from the head to the tip of the abdomen while the darker caterpillars have a black stripe the length of their back. Larvae have three pairs of legs on their thorax and three pairs of prolegs on their abdomen. The first pair of prolegs is much smaller than the last two pairs. The pupa is wrapped in a silk cocoon and is buried just beneath the surface of the ground.[1]
Adult males have a 25–35 mm wingspan. The forewings are glossy brown and crossed with irregular white bands. The females are brownish gray, wingless, and 10–12 mm long. Eggs are grayish brown with a dot and ring on the top and are less than 1 mm in diameter.[1]
Biologyedit
The larvae feed on a large variety of deciduous trees and shrubs, including Ulmus, Fraxinus and Acer. Other recorded hosts include hackberry, oak, various members of the rose family, walnut and willow.[1] The larvae hatch and are active in the spring. These insects are called fall cankerworms because the females emerge from the soil in November, mate and lay their eggs in clusters on hardwood trees.[2]
There are some natural enemies of this species. Many birds eat the caterpillars. The ground beetle, Calosoma frigidum also feeds on the caterpillars. The wasp, Telenomus alsophilae, parasitizes the eggs.[1]
Caterpillar
Caterpillar
Pupa
Wingless adult female
Economic importanceedit
The larvae, called loopers or inchworms, are considered a serious pest of many tree species because they can cause major defoliation in the new spring growth. If defoliation occurs two years in a row, the tree can die, especially if it has been stressed by drought.[1]
Referencesedit
^ abcde"Fall Cankerworm". Insect Advice from Extension. Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
^"Fall Cankerworm (Alsophila pometaria)". NC Cooperative Extension Resources. 2015-02-05 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved February 5, 2015
External linksedit
"910672.00 – 6258 – Alsophila pometaria – Fall Cankerworm Moth – (Harris, 1841)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
Tony-2 (November 13, 2018). "Species Alsophila pometaria - Fall Cankerworm - Hodges#6258". BugGuide. Retrieved January 31, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Anweiler, G. G. (November 16, 2003). "Species Details Alsophila pometaria". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
. Sugarbush management - A guide to forest pest management. Natural Resources Canada. Archived May 9, 2009.
This Alsophilinae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
alsophila, pometaria, fall, cankerworm, moth, family, geometridae, species, first, described, english, bible, joel, found, north, america, from, nova, scotia, west, alberta, south, colorado, california, zones, spainscientific, classificationdomain, eukaryotaki. Alsophila pometaria the fall cankerworm is a moth of the family Geometridae The species was first described in English by the KJV Bible Joel 1 4 It is found in North America from Nova Scotia west to Alberta south to Colorado and California and zones of SpainAlsophila pometariaScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ArthropodaClass InsectaOrder LepidopteraFamily GeometridaeGenus AlsophilaSpecies A pometariaBinomial nameAlsophila pometaria Harris 1841 SynonymsAlsophila restituens Walker 1860 Alsophila autumnata Packard 1876 Contents 1 Description 2 Biology 3 Economic importance 4 References 5 External linksDescription editThe caterpillars grow to about 25 mm long In color they vary from light green to a dark brownish green Light green caterpillars have white lines running down the body from the head to the tip of the abdomen while the darker caterpillars have a black stripe the length of their back Larvae have three pairs of legs on their thorax and three pairs of prolegs on their abdomen The first pair of prolegs is much smaller than the last two pairs The pupa is wrapped in a silk cocoon and is buried just beneath the surface of the ground 1 Adult males have a 25 35 mm wingspan The forewings are glossy brown and crossed with irregular white bands The females are brownish gray wingless and 10 12 mm long Eggs are grayish brown with a dot and ring on the top and are less than 1 mm in diameter 1 Biology editThe larvae feed on a large variety of deciduous trees and shrubs including Ulmus Fraxinus and Acer Other recorded hosts include hackberry oak various members of the rose family walnut and willow 1 The larvae hatch and are active in the spring These insects are called fall cankerworms because the females emerge from the soil in November mate and lay their eggs in clusters on hardwood trees 2 There are some natural enemies of this species Many birds eat the caterpillars The ground beetle Calosoma frigidum also feeds on the caterpillars The wasp Telenomus alsophilae parasitizes the eggs 1 nbsp Caterpillar nbsp Caterpillar nbsp Pupa nbsp Wingless adult femaleEconomic importance editThe larvae called loopers or inchworms are considered a serious pest of many tree species because they can cause major defoliation in the new spring growth If defoliation occurs two years in a row the tree can die especially if it has been stressed by drought 1 References edit a b c d e Fall Cankerworm Insect Advice from Extension Pennsylvania State University Retrieved February 5 2015 Fall Cankerworm Alsophila pometaria NC Cooperative Extension Resources Archived 2015 02 05 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved February 5 2015External links edit 910672 00 6258 Alsophila pometaria Fall Cankerworm Moth Harris 1841 North American Moth Photographers Group Mississippi State University Retrieved January 31 2019 Tony 2 November 13 2018 Species Alsophila pometaria Fall Cankerworm Hodges 6258 BugGuide Retrieved January 31 2019 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Anweiler G G November 16 2003 Species Details Alsophila pometaria University of Alberta Museums E H Strickland Entomological Museum Retrieved November 10 2020 Fall cankerworm Alsophila pometaria Sugarbush management A guide to forest pest management Natural Resources Canada Archived May 9 2009 This Alsophilinae related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alsophila pometaria amp oldid 1108655905, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
