''Alsophila pometaria'', the fall cankerworm, is a
moth of the family
Geometridae. The species was
first described in English by the KJV Bible
oel 1:4 It is found in North America from
Nova Scotia west to
Alberta, south to
Colorado and
California and zones of
Spain
Description
The caterpillars grow to about 25 mm long. In color, they vary from light green to a dark brownish green. Light green caterpillars have white lines running down the body from the head to the tip of the abdomen while the darker caterpillars have a black stripe the length of their back. Larvae have three pairs of legs on their thorax and three pairs of
prolegs on their abdomen. The first pair of prolegs is much smaller than the last two pairs. The pupa is wrapped in a silk cocoon and is buried just beneath the surface of the ground.
["Fall Cankerworm"]
''Insect Advice from Extension''. Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
Adult males have a 25–35 mm wingspan. The forewings are glossy brown and crossed with irregular white bands. The females are brownish gray, wingless, and 10–12 mm long. Eggs are grayish brown with a dot and ring on the top and are less than 1 mm in diameter.
[
]
Biology
The larvae feed on a large variety of deciduous trees and shrubs, including '' Ulmus'', ''Fraxinus
''Fraxinus'' (), common name, commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of Subtropics, subtropic ...
'' and '' Acer''. Other recorded hosts include hackberry, oak, various members of the rose family, walnut and willow.[ The larvae hatch and are active in the spring. These insects are called fall cankerworms because the females emerge from the soil in November, mate and lay their eggs in clusters on hardwood trees."Fall Cankerworm (''Alsophila pometaria'')"]
''NC Cooperative Extension Resources''. Retrieved February 5, 2015
There are some natural enemies of this species. Many birds eat the caterpillars. The ground beetle, '' Calosoma frigidum'' also feeds on the caterpillars. The wasp, '' Telenomus alsophilae'', parasitizes the eggs.[
File:Alsophila pometaria caterpillar.jpg, Caterpillar
File:Alsophila pometaria caterpillar. Fraxinus pennsylvanica.jpg, Caterpillar
File:Alsophila pometaria pupa.jpg, Pupa
File:Fall Cankerworm Moth - Alsophila pometaria, Leesylvania State Park, Woodbridge, Virginia.jpg, Wingless adult female
]
Economic importance
The larvae, called loopers or inchworms, are considered a serious pest of many tree species because they can cause major defoliation in the new spring growth. If defoliation occurs two years in a row, the tree can die, especially if it has been stressed by drought.[
]
References
External links
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*
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"Fall cankerworm (''Alsophila pometaria'')"
''Sugarbush management - A guide to forest pest management''. Natural Resources Canada. Archived May 9, 2009.
Alsophilinae
Taxa named by Thaddeus William Harris
Moths of North America
{{Alsophilinae-stub