Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Rhyacionia adana Heinrich, 1923
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Phylogenetic sequence #620704
Explanation of Names
Specific epithet in honor of Ada F. Kneale of the Bureau of Entomology (USDA) who collected one of the first specimens and "supplied very careful genitalia drawings accompanying this paper."
(1)Size
Forewing length 5.5-9.0 mm.
(2)Range
Massachusetts south to Virginia, west to Ontario and Mississippi.
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Type locality: Forest Hills, Massachusetts (William Raff).
(1)Life Cycle
This tip moth mines the current year's shoots of red, jack and Scots pine seedlings and saplings (it attacks the lower halves of trees up to 25 feet tall). Serious damage has been recorded in red and Scots pine plantations in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario.
The female lays her eggs between needles just above the sheath of the needle fascicle. Newly hatched larvae spin silken cases between two old needles just above the needle sheath; they then enter the needles and mine toward the tip. After new needle growth has started, larvae enter and mine developing shoots. Several larvae may inhabit a single shoot, moving toward the buds and causing shoot death. In mid-June to late July, mature larvae move down the main stem of the tree and pupate in cocoons cemented to the stem 1 inch below the soil surface. Shoot death becomes apparent after the insect has pupated. A single generation occurs each year.
USDA Forest Service. 1979. A guide to common insects and diseases of forest trees in the northeastern United States. Northeast. Area State Priv. For., For. Insect and Disease Management., Broomall, PA. p. 123, illus.
Print References
Heinrich, C., 1923. Revision of the North American moths of the subfamily Eucosminae of the family Olethreutidae.
United States National Museum Bulletin, 123:
18.
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