Half-Wing Geometer
Phigalia titea |
| USDA Forest Service. 1979. A guide to common insects and diseases of forest trees in the northeastern United States. Northeast. Area State Priv. For., For. Insect and Disease Management., Broomall, PA. p. 123, illus. |
This looper feeds on many hardwood species, but favors red oak, red maple, basswood, hickory, and elm. Tree mortality generally is confined to individuals weakened by drought, disease, or other stress conditions.
After overwintering as pupae, adults emerge in April and quickly mate. Wingspan of the male moths averages about 1½ inches. Forewings are grayish and marked with specks, dark lines, and spots along the edges. Although winged, females cannot fly. Females deposit eggs in inconspicuous sites on the bark. After 2 or 3 weeks, the eggs hatch and young larvae begin to skeletonize leaves. Later they consume entire leaves except for the major veins. Mature larvae are about 1½ inches long, gray to brown, with numerous black lines running the length of the body, yellow patches on the sides, and many sparse hairs and small black projections on the body segments. Some dispersal occurs when larvae spin silken threads and are carried by the wind to other locations. Pupation takes place in the soil litter. There is one generation per year.
Larva(e); called "spiny loopers" because of hairy tubercles on each segment
E. Bradford Walker, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation |
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