Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar
Heterocampa manteo |
| 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. |
The variable oakleaf caterpillar occasionally defoliates extensive areas of hardwood forests. This insect perfers oak trees, but also will feed on beech, basswood, birch, and various other hardwoods.
The larvae overwinter in earthen cells in the topsoil. Pupation occurs in early spring, and the adults appear in May or early June. Eggs are deposited singly on the leaves; each female is capable of laying up to 500 eggs. The larvae feed for 5 to 6 weeks, then drop to the ground to form their larval cells. The larvae vary in color, but at maturity are usually yellow-green with a broad, dark band down the back. The head is usually rust-colored with two lateral, curved bands (outer one creamy white and inner one black) on each side of the head. There is one generation per year in the North and sometimes two generations per year in the South.
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Life Cycle ; egg mass and early instar larvae
Photo by Ronald F. Billings, Texas Forest Service |
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