Common emerald
- Scientific name: Hemithea aestivaria (Hubner)
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Geometridae
Distribution
- British Columbia
Damage, symptoms and biology
The common emerald is a relatively uncommon, innocuous solitary defoliator.
Mature larva to 27 mm long. Twig mimic. Head, brown with black markings, vertex deeply cleft. Body, elongate, smooth, green with dark and white markings at both the anterior and posterior ends; two prominent tubercles on dorsum of first thoracic segment.
This species overwinters as a young larva. Larval feeding resumes in the spring and continues until June. Pupation occurs in June, and adults emerge from June to July.
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)
- Eastern white-cedar
- Jananese larch
- Larches / tamaracks
- Siberian larch
- Subalpine larch
- Tamarack
- Western larch
Photos
Dorso-lateral view of mature larva, on eastern white-cedar
Dorso-lateral view of mature larva, on eastern white-cedar
Dion Manastyrski Centre de foresterie du Pacifique, Victoria (Colombie-Britannique) / Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, British Columbia
Dion Manastyrski Centre de foresterie du Pacifique, Victoria (Colombie-Britannique) / Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, British Columbia