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Species Lambdina fiscellaria - Hemlock Looper - Hodges#6888

Hemlock Looper - Lambdina fiscellaria - female Hemlock Looper Moth - Lambdina fiscellaria Hemlock Looper - Lambdina fiscellaria Moth - Family Geometridae (possibly an Omnivorous Looper - Sabulodes aegrotata?) - Lambdina fiscellaria Hemlock Looper Moth - A - Lambdina fiscellaria geometer? - Lambdina fiscellaria Hemlock Looper Moth - Lambdina fiscellaria - female Besma? - Lambdina fiscellaria - female
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Geometroidea (Geometrid and Swallowtail Moths)
Family Geometridae (Geometrid Moths)
Subfamily Ennominae
Tribe Ourapterygini
Genus Lambdina
Species fiscellaria (Hemlock Looper - Hodges#6888)
Hodges Number
6888
Other Common Names
Mournful Thorn
Arpenteuse de la Pruche - En français...Ilze V-G.
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Lambdina fiscellaria (Guenée, [1858])
Size
Powell & Opler (2009) listed the forewing length 16-18 mm. (1)
Identification

Range
coast to coast in Canada and adjacent parts of US
Food
Larvae feed on hemlock, balsam fir, and white spruce, plus oak and other hardwoods.
Young larvae feed on opening shoots; older ones on old needles(2)
Life Cycle
The female lays tiny eggs on a variety of substrates throughout the forest from August to October. After overwintering, the eggs hatch from late May to mid-June. a
Pupation takes place in bark crevices or in masses of lichens on or near the bark.(2)
Remarks
There are many online sources with information on the pest status of the species.
See Also
L. athasaria may cause similar damage on hemlock. It closely resembles L. fiscellaria in all of its life stages making identification between the two species very difficult. L. athasaria overwinters in the pupal stage. Damage by the larvae is later in the summer.
Print References
Powell, J.A. & P.A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America. University of California Press, plate 30, fig. 15; p. 217. (1)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group (3)
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) (4)
E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum (5)
The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (6)
live adult image (Lynn Scott)
pest information (US Dept of Ag Forest Service)
GENITALIA:male
Works Cited
1.Moths of Western North America
Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.
2.Eastern Forest Insects
Whiteford L. Baker. 1972. U.S. Department of Agriculture · Forest Service.
3.North American Moth Photographers Group
4.Butterflies of North America
5.University of Alberta Entomology Collection
6.BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems
Contributed by Robin McLeod on 9 January, 2005 - 10:46pm
Additional contributions by john and jane balaban, Beatriz Moisset, Tony-2, anitagould, Maury Heiman, Robert Lord Zimlich, marcie oconnor, Marci Hess, Fyn Kynd
Last updated 25 August, 2023 - 4:13pm

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