Scientific name: Syngrapha celsa (Henry Edwards)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae

Distribution

British Columbia

Damage, symptoms and biology

Syngrapha celsa is a common innocuous solitary defoliator.

Mature larva up to 24 mm long. Head, green unmarked. Body, green, addorsal, subdorsal and spiracular white stripes; addorsal stripes broader than subdorsal and spiracular stripes. Two pairs of mid-abdominal prolegs instead of the normal four found in other cutworms.

This species appears to overwinter in the larval stage. Larvae are present May to June, pupation occurs in June, and adults emerge 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)

Photos

Lateral view of mature larva, on grand fir

Dion Manastyrski Centre de foresterie du Pacifique, Victoria (Colombie-Britannique) / Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, British Columbia

Dorsal view of mature larva, on grand fir