Species Euzophera ostricolorella - Root Collar Borer - Hodges#5997

5997

Tuliptree Borer

described in 1890 by Hulst

wingspan 30-41 mm

larva length to 33 mm

Adult: forewing dull purplish-red except dark purplish-gray median area; AM line whitish, gently S-curved; PM line whitish, jagged; no subterminal line; hindwing whitish to pale gray with brown terminal line and white fringe

Larva: body dull white; head dark brown with heavily chitinized black areas; spiracles and anal shield smoky brown; pair of jointed legs on each thoracic segment, and fleshy prolegs ending in numerous hooked spines (crochets) on abdominal segments 3 to 6 and 10; consequently, very mobile within and outside gallery

[adapted from description at forestpests.org]

eastern United States: Arkansas and Louisiana to northern Florida, north to Michigan and New York (approximately the same distribution as Tuliptree, the larval hostplant)

parks and woodlands containing Tuliptree

adults fly from April to June and again from August to October (two broods) in southern states

larvae bore into bark and feed on phloem at base of Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

Magnolia reported to be attacked (USDA FS 1985), but this is questionable. (It seems more likely that a related borer in magnolia, E. magnolialis Capps, was mistakenly identified as E. ostricolorella.) [forestpests.org]

Females oviposit at night in bark crevices of hostplant; larvae tunnel into bark to feed; two generations per year in southern states; one generation in northern states

Overwinter in the pupal stage in an tunnel excavated by the larva.(1)

American Plum Borer (Euzophera semifuneralis) is smaller [wingspan 20-25 mm] and has a diffuse subterminal line with whitish shading in terminal area (compare images of this and related species by Jim Vargo at MPG)

Moth Photographers Group (MPG)

Barcode of Life (BOLD)

detailed species account including common name reference [Root Collar Borer], description, larval foodplant, distribution, biology, control methods (J.D. Solomon, USDA Forest Service. courtesy forestpests.org)

common name reference [Tuliptree Borer] plus presence in Florida (John Heppner, Florida State Collection of Arthropods)

distribution list of boundary states (Dalton State College, Georgia)

presence in Michigan; PDF doc list (Mogens Nielsen, Michigan State U., courtesy U. of Michigan)