Eastern Pine Looper – LambdinapellucidariaCommon Name:Eastern Pine Looper, pitch pine looper, andyellow-headed looper
Latin Name:LambdinapellucidariaAppearance:
Brownish grey body with spotted head, light dorsum, and darker, striped sides.
A greyish head with little brown and big black patches, a prothoracic shield that is primarily dark yellow with dark dots, and largely yellow legs.
Grayish white subdorsal stripe with interspersed, yellowish brown patches and dark brown edges; a series of greyish, brownish, or blackish longitudinal lines and bars below the subdorsal strip; brown subspiracular stripe, which is the most consistently colored stripe—light grey dorsum with brown speckling.
Dark longitudinal lines cross the light grey venter and the black spiracles—30 mm maximum.
Territory:
The pine looper moth inhabits coniferous forests in North Africa and the Near East and northern Asia, the Caucasus Mountains, and eastern Siberia. Mostly with pine trees, particularly Scots pine.
Damages caused by Eastern Pine Looper:
Eastern pine loopers eat on pitch pine, red pine, and other hard pines. Additionally, it is said to eat oak (which seems like a stretch to me). These loopers only eat away a little part of a needle before it rots. Such defoliation may cause pine trees to die if an infestation is severe and lasts for two or three years.
Life history and Habits:
Eastern pine loopers take place from August to November. When fully grown, the caterpillars make their way to the duff to pupate there or in the ground. Pupae are rather thin and have a dark brown color. The moths have a mottled brown to grey color with darker wing veins and a darker stripe running across the wing. The wingspan can reach 1 1/2 inches in width. The next May, the moths hatch from their pupae and deposit batches of oval, light green eggs that eventually turn yellow to tan along pine needles until the end of June. This looper has one generation yearly and may be found across North Carolina.
