Green velvet looper
- French common name: Arpenteuse verte veloutée
- Scientific name: Epirrita autumnata (Harrison)
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Geometridae
Distribution
- Alberta
- British Columbia
Damage, symptoms and biology
The green velvet looper is a common and, on occasion, a locally abundant nondestructive solitary defoliator.Mature larva to 25 mm long. Head, unmarked green. Body, green; two narrow dark green middorsal lines; light yellow subdorsal stripe; creamy white subspiracular stripe.
This species appears to overwinter in the egg stage. Larvae are present from May to July, pupation occurs June to July, and adults emerge July to September.
Canadian Forest Service Publications
Diet and feeding behaviour
-
Phyllophagous:
Feeds on the leaves of plants.
- Free-living defoliator: Feeds on and moves about freely on foliage.
Information on host(s)
Main host(s)
- Amabilis fir
- Engelmann spruce
- Grand fir
- Mountain hemlock
- Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir
- Sitka spruce
- Subalpine fir
- Western hemlock
- Western redcedar
- White spruce
Photos
Dorsal view of mature larva, on grand fir