Pine measuringworm moth

Latin name: Hypagyrtis piniata (Pack.)
French name: Arpenteuse du pin
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae

Description

Distribution

Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, British Columbia

This species is generally distributed throughout the central and southern interior of British Columbia from the upper Fraser and Peace drainages south; it also occurs east to Newfoundland.

Micro-habitat(s)

Needle

Damage, symptoms and biology

Hypagyrtis piniata is a common innocuous solitary defoliator.

Mature larva to 27 mm long. Head, light brown with dark mottle. Body, light reddish brown; pale yellow diamond pattern on dorsum; black chevron on dorsum of each abdominal segment.

This species overwinters in the larval stage. Larvae resume feeding in spring and continue until June or July. Pupation occurs July to August, adults emerge July to August and lay eggs. Eggs hatch soon after and the larvae feed until early fall.

Canadian Forest Service Publications

Pine measuringworm moth

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 hosts of Hypagyrtis piniata are Douglas-fir, western hemlock, Engelmann spruce and white spruce; other hosts include western larch, tamarack, lodgepole pine, western white pine, ponderosa pine, western redcedar and subalpine fir.