Caripeta aequaliaria Grote

Distribution

British Columbia

This species occurs on the south coast and in the southern interior of British Columbia; it also occurs in mountainous western Alberta and south to Oregon.

Micro-habitat(s)

Needle

Damage, symptoms and biology

Caripeta aequaliaria is a relatively uncommon solitary defoliator.

Mature larva up to 42 mm long. This species has two distinct morphs. The colour of the more common morph is highly variable, ranging from dark brown to pale grey. In this morph, the head is pale grey with dark markings on each lobe; the body is elongate with the dorsum of each abdominal segment marked with a pair of dark spots in the anterior third (not distinct in light coloured variant) and a pair of dark D-shaped markings near the posterior margin. The second distinct morph is rusty brown and has a broken middorsal creamy yellow stripe and prominent yellow lateral spots.

This species overwinters in the egg stage. Larvae are present from June to September; pupation occurs in September and adults emerge from September to October.

Main host(s)

Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir

Secondary host(s)

Western hemlock, western white pine