''Operophtera bruceata'', the Bruce spanworm, hunter's moth, or native winter moth is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Geometridae The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''metr ...

. The species was first described by

George Duryea Hulst George Duryea Hulst (9 March 1846 – 5 November 1900) was an American clergyman, botanist and entomologist. Biography He graduated from Rutgers University in 1866 and received a degree from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in 1869, finally ...

in 1886. It is found from coast to coast in southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

and the northern parts of the United States. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

of the males is 25–30 mm. Females have underdeveloped wings and do not fly. Adults are on wing from October to December. Bruce spanworm looks very similar and has a similar life cycle to the invasive congener

winter moth :''In North America, "winter moth" usually denotes the invasive species ''Operophtera brumata'', but may also mean refer to a native species, '' Erannis tiliaria'' (linden looper) or ''Operophtera bruceata'' (bruce spanworm).'' The winter moth (' ...

(''O. brumata''). Bruce spanworm is known to hybridize with winter moth. The two species look almost identical to one another; however, they can be distinguished morphologically by comparing uncus shape or by using DNA analyses. Bruce spanworm uses the same pheromone as winter moth. The larvae hatch in the early spring after overwintering as eggs. The neonates primarily feed on the buds and nearly unfurled leaves of

sugar maple ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the prima ...

American beech ''Fagus grandifolia'', the American beech or North American beech, is a species of beech tree native to the eastern United States and extreme southeast of Canada. Description ''Fagus grandifolia'' is a large deciduous tree growing to tall, w ...

and trembling aspen. They have also been recorded on

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist ...

and various other deciduous trees. After feeding for a few weeks, the late instar caterpillars drop down to the soil and build an earthen cocoon. The pupate until the late fall or early winter when they emerge as adults. Disease from viruses and microsporidia have been noted to effect the larvae and pupae of Bruce spanworm. Virus infections by a nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV)

baculovirus ''Baculoviridae'' is a family of viruses. Arthropods, among the most studied being Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera, serve as natural hosts. Currently, 85 species are placed in this family, assigned to four genera. Baculoviruses are known ...

was found to be low in Bruce spanworm populations collected in the northeast U.S. and was found to be related to but distinct from the NPV that was detected in winter moth in the same region. However, collections for Bruce spanworm larvae from an outbreak population in Maine had high levels of infection by

microsporidia Microsporidia are a group of spore-forming unicellular parasites. These spores contain an extrusion apparatus that has a coiled polar tube ending in an anchoring disc at the apical part of the spore. They were once considered protozoans or p ...

Gallery

Image:Operophtera bruceata egg.jpg, Egg Image:Operophtera bruceata egg1.jpg, Egg Image:Operophtera bruceata larva.jpg, Larva Image:Operophtera bruceata damage.jpg, Feeding signs Image:Operophtera bruceata adult female.jpg, Adult female Image:Operophtera bruceata adult female1.jpg, Adult female

References

External links

* * * Operophtera Moths described in 1886 Moths of North America Taxa named by George Duryea Hulst {{Larentiinae-stub