Species Operophtera brumata - Winter Moth - Hodges#7436

7436

Operophtera brumata, (Linnaeus, 1758)

one of three species in the genus for North America north of Mexico

wingspan is 28–33 mm

Females of this genus have vestigial wings

Comparison of Operophtera brumata and O. bruceata, uncus is shown, the scales have been brushed off the tail of the abdomen.

Native to Europe, introduced to Northeast and Pacific Northwest, pest species in areas such as Boston. Established in the NW since the 1970s

adult males seen October to February and often attracted to lights

larvae feed on willow, trembling aspen, paper birch, balsam poplar, and bigleaf maple

oaks(1)

Overwinter as eggs. Young feed first on opening buds and the undersides of developing leaves. When mature they drop to the ground and construct pupal cells where they remain until fall. Females emerge and deposit eggs in bark crevices, under lichens, or other sheltered locations on the tree.(2)

Larvae are able to attack Quercus robus only just after bud break until the first set of leaves. If the bud opening happens before the egg hatches or the egg hatches before the bud break, a large proportion of the larvae starve.(1)

this introduced species is a serious pest (defoliator)

Parasitoid:

Two imported parasites are providing a degree of control in Nova Scotia. They are a tachnid, Cyzenis albicans and an ichneumon Argypon flaveolatum(2)

Gwiazdowski, R.A., J.S. Elkinton, J.R. Dewaard, M. Sremac, 2013. Phylogeographic Diversity of the Winter Moths Operophtera brumata and O. bruceata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Europe and North America. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 106 (2): 143-151.

Moth Photographers Group - species page with photographs of living and pinned adults.

UMass Extension (PDF)