Thallophaga hyperborea (Hulst)
- Latin name: Thallophaga hyperborea (Hulst)
- French name:
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Geometridae
Description
Distribution
British Columbia
Micro-habitat(s)
Needle
Damage, symptoms and biology
Thallophaga hyperborea is a common innocuous solitary defoliator.Mature larva up to 23 mm long. Head, mottled brown with cream stripes from vertex to labrum. Body, orange-brown with faint tan striping; creamy yellow subdorsal stripes extending onto head.
This species overwinters as a pupa buried in the soil. Adults emerge in April and May, larvae are present from May to August, and pupation occurs in late summer.
Life cycle (West of the Rockies)
| Stage/Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Egg | Larva | Chrysalis | Adult |
|---|
Canadian Forest Service Publications
https://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/publications/search?q=
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
Dorso-lateral view of a mature larva, on Sitka spruce
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