White slaut

Distribution

Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia

This species is generally distributed throughout the southern interior of British Columbia; it also occurs east to Nova Scotia and south to Florida.

Micro-habitat(s)

Leaf, Needle

Damage, symptoms and biology

Tetracis cachexiata is a relatively uncommon innocuous solitary defoliator.

Mature larva up to 45 mm long. Head, small, flattened, dull yellowish white with dark markings. Body, brown to grey and variously marked with repeating middorsal hourglass pattern. Body slim, wider from segments 6-9. Second thoracic segment with a pair of large angular lateral swellings and small addorsal tubercles. Both abdominal segments 4 and 5 have a pair of subdorsal tubercles.

Larvae are present from early June to late September. Pupation occurs from July to mid-August, and adults emerge in September or May.

Main host(s)

Balsam fir, balsam willow, Bebb willow, black willow, Douglas-fir, feltleaf willow, golden weeping willow, heartleaf willow, hooker willow, hybrid white willow, laurel willow, littletree willow, Mackenzie willow, meadow willow, Pacific willow, peachleaf willow, pussy willow, red maple, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, sandbar willow, satiny willow, Scouler willow, shining willow, silver maple, Sitka willow, tamarack, trembling aspen, violet willow, white birch, white spruce, white spruce, willow

Secondary host(s)

Basswood, bur oak, choke cherry, Douglas maple, eastern hemlock, eastern white pine, grey birch, mountain alder, mountain maple, pin cherry, red oak, red spruce, Sitka alder, white ash, yellow birch