Eastern hemlock looper

Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria Guenée (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

Orientation to pest

Eastern hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria Guenée, is a native North American geometrid whose larvae defoliate eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis [L.] Carrière), balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.) and white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss). It is found in Canada from Newfoundland to Alberta and in the United States it occurs widely within the range of eastern hemlock. Adults fly in late summer or fall and lay eggs singly or in small groups on bark, or associated moss and lichens. Winter is spent in the egg stage and larvae begin to feed in the late spring on newly opened clusters of needles. Older larvae also feed on old needles. Some attacked needles are chewed but not severed and remain attached, giving the tree a brown appearance. Pupation usually takes place on the bark. Repeated periodic outbreaks have occurred over wide areas in eastern Canada and the northeast and north central United States, especially Newfoundland, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Hosts commonly attacked

This moth feeds mainly on eastern hemlock (T. canadensis) (especially in the more southerly parts of it range) but in the north also feeds on balsam fir (A. balsamea) and white spruce (P. glauca). During outbreaks it sometimes feeds on other conifers and even some hardwoods.

Distribution

This geometrid is found in Canada from Newfoundland to Alberta and in the United States it occurs widely within the range of eastern hemlock.

Images of eastern hemlock looper

Thérèse Arcand - Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service 768x512	Thérèse Arcand - Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service 768x512	Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Archive, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	USDA Forest Service - Northeastern Area Archive, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Figure 1. Adult of eastern hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria	Figure 2. Eggs of eastern hemlock looper	Figure 3. Larva of eastern hemlock looper	Figure 4. Defoliation from eastern hemlock looper in Michigan

Articles

• MacLean, D. A. and E. Paul Ebe. 1999.The impact of hemlock looper (Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Guen.)) on balsam fir and spruce in New Brunswick, Canada. Forest Ecology and Management 120: 77-87
• Hartling, L. K., N. Carter, and J. Proude. 1999. Spring parasitism of overwintered eggs of Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) by Telenomus near alsophilae (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). The Canadian Entomologist 131: 421-422.
• Frankenhuyzen, K. Van, R. J. West, and M. Kenis. 2001. Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Guenée), hemlock looper (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), pp. 141-144. In: Mason, P. G. and J. T. Huber (eds.). Biological Control Programmes in Canada, 1981-2000. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK.
• Iqbal, J., D. A. MacLean, J. A. Kershaw, Jr. 2011. Impacts of hemlock looper defoliation on growth and survival of balsam fir, black spruce and white birch in Newfoundland, Canada. Forest Ecology and Management 261: 1106-1114.