Pine-tree lappet |
Insects: Foliage Feeding Insects |
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Hexapoda (including Insecta) > Lepidoptera > Lasiocampidae > Dendrolimus pini (Linnaeus)
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| Pine-tree lappet or pine moth is a European native, but is also known
in the western part of Asia. It has not yet been detected in North
America. The most likely method of introduction would be eggs
and pupae hidden in the bark crevasses of unprocessed logs. Hosts
are a wide range of conifers including fir, cedar, juniper, spruce, pine,
Douglas-fir, and larch. From late-June through August, adult females
lay eggs in groups of about 100. Females do not fly until after they
have laid some of their eggs. The pinhead-sized (1/16 inch) eggs are
blue-green when first deposited, later turning gray. Eggs hatch in
about 14 days. Caterpillars first feed on egg shells, then on needles.
First instar larvae can be wind dispersed as well as crawl significant
distances to reach uninfested trees. One larva may consume up to
1,000 needles. When no needles are present, the bark of young shoots
is also eaten. Mature larvae are 2-3 inches long with soft, gray to brownish
hairs. Identifying features of the caterpillar include thick
bands of steel blue and black hairs on the thorax and a black mark
flanked by irregular white lines on the abdominal segments. After the
first frost, caterpillars move to the litter on the forest floor to overwinter.
The following spring, they return to the canopy to resume feeding. In
June, yellow-brown to black cocoons marked with steel blue hairs
start being formed in bark crevices and on needles and branches. Adults
emerge in roughly 4 weeks. Identifying features of the 2 to 3 1/2 inch
moth include gray-brown to brown forewings with a reddish brown
lateral band and an irregular dark-brown to black stripe along the
edges. Hind wings are red brown to gray brown. Males are usually
darker than females. |
| Image |
Descriptor |
Description |
Photographer |
| 1220022 |
Adult(s) |
female |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1258019 |
Adult(s) |
Male |
Stanislaw Kinelski |
| 1258020 |
Adult(s) |
Male |
Stanislaw Kinelski |
| 1260017 |
Adult(s) |
Adults mating, male below. Empty cocoon on right.
Sachsen, Germany |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1260018 |
Adult(s) |
Adults mating. Male below; Sachsen, Germany |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1260050 |
Adult(s) |
With female nun moth below. Sachsen, Germany |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1260052 |
Adult(s) |
Resting male. Sachsen, Germany |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1260053 |
Adult(s) |
Resting male. Sachsen, Germany |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1258047 |
Cocoon(s) |
|
Stanislaw Kinelski |
| 1220014 |
Cocoon(s) |
in needles |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220015 |
Cocoon(s) |
in needles |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220016 |
Cocoon(s) |
coin diameter 16 mm |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220017 |
Cocoon(s) |
empty cocoon on stem, some years after an outbreak |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220018 |
Cocoon(s) |
empty cocoon on stem, some years after an outbreak |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1292010 |
Diagram or Graphic |
Adults, Poland |
Robert Dzwonkowski |
| 1258048 |
Egg(s) |
|
Stanislaw Kinelski |
| 1220023 |
Egg(s) |
eggs and hatched larvae |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220024 |
Egg(s) |
coin diameter 16 mm |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220001 |
Egg(s) |
on needles |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220002 |
Larva(e) |
and eggs |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220003 |
Larva(e) |
feeding larvae during fall before hibernation |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220004 |
Larva(e) |
feeding larvae during fall before hibernation |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220005 |
Larva(e) |
feeding larvae during fall before hibernation |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220006 |
Larva(e) |
during hibernation |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220008 |
Larva(e) |
during hibernation |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220009 |
Larva(e) |
during hibernation with first needle layer removed |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220010 |
Larva(e) |
during hibernation with first needle layer removed |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220011 |
Larva(e) |
during hibernation with first needle layer removed |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220012 |
Larva(e) |
ascending after hibernation |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220013 |
Larva(e) |
ascending after hibernation |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220019 |
Larva(e) |
feeding on needles |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220020 |
Larva(e) |
a few days before pupation |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220021 |
Larva(e) |
excrement of larvae; coin diameter 16 mm |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220025 |
Larva(e) |
feeding on needle |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220026 |
Larva(e) |
feeding on needle |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1220027 |
Larva(e) |
feeding on needle |
Hannes Lemme |
| 1258049 |
Larva(e) |
|
Stanislaw Kinelski |
| 3943018 |
Larva(e) |
on branch |
William M. Ciesla |
| 3943019 |
Larva(e) |
Mature larva on branch. |
William M. Ciesla |
| 5371386 |
Larva(e) |
|
Gyorgy Csoka |
| 1258021 |
Life Cycle |
Female laying eggs |
Stanislaw Kinelski |
|
