- Scientific name: Lithophane itata (Smith)
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Noctuidae
Distribution
- British Columbia
Damage, symptoms and biology
Lithophane itata is a relatively uncommon innocuous solitary defoliator.Mature larva up to 28 mm long. Head, green unmarked. Body, green, dorsum with white arrowhead shaped markings along the middorsum and two pairs of addorsal white spots on each segment; wavy white subdorsal and spiracular white stripes and a pair of supraspiracular and subspiracular white spots on each abdominal segment.
This species overwinters in the adult stage and becomes active in the early spring and occasionally on mild winter days. Larvae are present late May to June, pupation occurs in July and adults emerge August 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)
Photos
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