. Eastern forest insects . larvae are gregarious until the last instar. During the early in- stars they feed on the upper surface of the leaves; later they devour entire leaves excepting the larger veins and midribs. As they approach maturity, some of them leave the web and feed individually. Pupation occurs in thin cocoons usually spun in the duff or just beneath the surface of the soil. There are one or two generations per year, depending on location. The fall webworm is ordinarily of no great importance as a forest pest since it usually attacks understory, weed species of no economic value.
. Eastern forest insects . larvae are gregarious until the last instar. During the early in- stars they feed on the upper surface of the leaves; later they devour entire leaves excepting the larger veins and midribs. As they approach maturity, some of them leave the web and feed individually. Pupation occurs in thin cocoons usually spun in the duff or just beneath the surface of the soil. There are one or two generations per year, depending on location. The fall webworm is ordinarily of no great importance as a forest pest since it usually attacks understory, weed species of no economic value. Outbreaks may occur, however, sometimes en- compassing tracts several miles in extent. It is often a serious pest of shade trees and ornamentals. These trees may not only be heavily or completely defoliated, but the presence of numerous, unsightly webs detracts greatly from their esthetic value. Oliver11 discussed the ecology of the species in the Deep South, and (575) its natural and biological control in Louisiana. Tothill (715) dis- cussed its natural and biological control in Canada. Seirarctica echo (J. E. Smith) larvae feed on the foliage of persimmon, ground oak, and sabal palmettos from Florida to Mississippi. The adult is white and has a wingspread of about 55 mm. The wing veins are edged with dark brown or black. Full- grown larvae are clothed with coarse, black-tipped hairs and are about 50 mm. long. The body is black on top except for a pair of yellowish stripes and a row of orange-colored warts that cross each segment. Other species of arctiids likely to be encountered in eastern forests include: Haploa clymene (Brown)—on maple, hickory, and apple; H. lecontei (Guer.)—on maple, birch, oak, and cherry; Apantesis radians (Wlk.)—on slash pine seedlings in Georgia; and Lexis bicolor Grt—on balsam fir and spruce. 11 Oliver, 1963. An ecological study of the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury), in Louisiana. PhD Thesis, Louisiana state Univ. 307
Size: 2315px × 2160px
Photo credit: © The Bookworm Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionbiodive, booksubjectforestinsects
