Feralia comstocki Grote
- Latin name: Feralia comstocki Grote
- French name: Féralie de Comstock
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Noctuidae
Description
Distribution
Canada
Micro-habitat(s)
Needle
Damage, symptoms and biology
Feralia comstocki is a common innocuous solitary defoliator.
Mature larva to 30 mm long. Head, pale green, unmarked. Body, green with bright white middorsal and subdorsal stripes; spiracular stripe alternating white and yellow fringed above with red; linear yellowish green subspiracular markings above abdominal prolegs.
This species overwinters in the pupal stage. Adults emerge May to June. Larvae are present June to August and pupation occurs in August.
Life cycle (East of the Rockies)
| Stage/Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egg | ||||||||||||
| Larva | ||||||||||||
| Chrysalis | ||||||||||||
| Adult | ||||||||||||
Other information
Feralia jocosa is similar but differs in that the white, yellow and red spiracular stripe is broken into discrete segments rather than continuous.
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)
Balsam fir, eastern white pine, Engelmann spruce, jack pine, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, subalpine fir, western hemlock, white spruce
Photos
Larva on eastern white pine Thérèse Arcand
Larva on jack pine Thérèse Arcand
Lateral view of mature larva, on western hemlock