Dioryctria moth
- Latin name: Dioryctria pseudotsugella Munroe
- French name:
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Pyralidae
Description
Distribution
British Columbia
Micro-habitat(s)
Needle
Damage, symptoms and biology
Dioryctria pseudotsugella is a common, occasionally abundant, innocuous solitary defoliator.Mature larva up to 15 mm long. Head, brown unmarked. Body, brown, dorsum rusty brown; narrow creamy white subdorsal and spiracular stripes; broad dark supraspiracular stripe.
This species appears to overwinter in the egg stage. Larvae are present from May to July; pupation occurs in July and adults emerge from July to August.
Population fluctuations synchronous with those of the western spruce budworm.
Other information
Similar species: Dioryctria reniculelloides is similar but differs in that the colour of the dorsum and subspiracular stripe is much duller; it also has different host preferences.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)
The principal host of Dioryctria pseudotsugella is Douglas-fir; other hosts include western hemlock and grand fir.
Main host(s)
Secondary host(s)
Amabilis fir, Engelmann spruce, Rocky Mountain juniper, subalpine fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, white spruce, white spruce
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