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Species Lambdina fiscellaria - Hemlock Looper - Hodges#6888

Representative Images

Hemlock Looper  - Lambdina fiscellaria Lambdina? - Lambdina fiscellaria Lambdina? - Lambdina fiscellaria caterpillar - Lambdina fiscellaria Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria - Lambdina fiscellaria Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria - Lambdina fiscellaria Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria - Lambdina fiscellaria Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria - Lambdina fiscellaria
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)