Type

Native

Taxonomy

Zeiraphera canadensis Mutuura & Freeman (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Eucsomini)

Common name: spruce bud moth

Adult Recognition

FWL: 5.5-6.5 mm

Head, thorax orange-brown; forewing with ground color orange-brown with irregular black and silver fasciaefasciae:
plural of "fascia"
; there is a distinct pale orange triangular mark at the midpoint of the inner margininner margin:
see dorsum
in most specimens; males lack a forewing costal foldforewing costal fold:
a flap or fold at the base of the forewing that contains specialized sex scales
; hindwing of both sexes dark gray or brown.

Male genitalia are characterized by a reduced uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
; large, lobe-like sociisocii:
a pair of lightly sclerotized setose lobes
; and broad, curved valvaevalvae:
plural of "valva"
with a well-developed cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva
. Female genitalia are characterized by a telescopic ovipositor; a funnel-like ostiumostium:
see ostium bursae
; and two signasigna:
plural of "signum"
in the corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
of unequal size.

Larval Morphology

The following account is summarized from MacKay (1959)MacKay (1959):
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338., in which the species was called Z. ratzeburgiana.

Mature larva approximately 10 mm in length; width of head approximately 0.8 mm; head dark yellow, with darker laterallateral:
to the side
pigmentation; thoracic shield, anal shieldanal shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the last abdominal segment (in larvae)
, legs dark yellow; body paler yellow; anal fork absent; SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 typically 2:2:2:2:2 but occasionally 2:3:2:2:2 or other combination.

Detailed figures of the larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are available in MacKay (1959)MacKay (1959):
MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338..

Similar Species

Prior to Mutuura & Freeman (1966), this species was thought to be the widespread Palearctic species Z. ratzeburgiana (Saxesen), which it very closely resembles. For adults, dissection of the female genitalia is required to make an identification. The corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
of Z. canadensis has two signasigna:
plural of "signum"
of unequal size, whereas the signasigna:
plural of "signum"
of Z. ratzeburgiana are equal in size. Larvae of the two species can be separated by the presence (Z. ratzeburgiana) or absence (Z. canadensis) of an anal fork.

In North America, Z. canadensis can be separated from other species (with the possible exception of Z. vancouverana McDunnough) by its distinctive orange forewings in most specimens.

Biology

The following account is summarized from Pilon (1965)Pilon (1965):
Pilon, J. G. 1965. Bionomics of the spruce budworm, Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana (Ratz.) (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae). Phytoprotection. 46: 5-16., Turgeon (1985)Turgeon (1985):
Turgeon, J. J. 1985. Life cycle and behavior of the spruce budworm Zeiraphera canadensis (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae), in New Brunswick. Canadian Entomologist. 117: 1239-1247., Régnière & Turgeon (1989), and Turgeon (1992)Turgeon (1992):
Turgeon, J. J. 1992. Status of research on the development of management tactics and strategies for the spruce bud moth in white spruce plantations. The Forestry Chronicle. 68(5): 614-622..

Zeiraphera canadensis undergoes a single generation per year. In New Brunswick, eggs are laid singly or, rarely, in groups of up to 20 in late July and early August between the scales at the base of the current year’s growth. Eggs overwinter and subsequently hatch in May as white spruce buds begin to burst. First and second instar larvae mine newly needles of newly burst buds. Third and fourth instar larvae feed on the basal end of needles as well as on meristematic tissue, leaving a characteristic scar. The feeding damage caused by older larvae can severely weaken and destroy stems. There are a total of four instars. After completing development in June, larvae drop to the ground to pupate. Adults eclose approximately two to three weeks later and are active for a similar length of time.

Zeiraphera canadensis is a major pest of spruce in North America, especially of young trees in plantation settings. The preferred host is white spruce (Picea glauca), but it will also feed on black spruce (Picea mariana), balsam fir (Abies balsamea), and other Pinaceae. It has not been recorded utilizing pine (Pinus spp.).

Host plant	Host plant family	Reference(s)
Abies amabilis	Pinaceae	Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.
Abies balsamea	Pinaceae	Pilon 1965Pilon 1965: Pilon, J. G. 1965. Bionomics of the spruce budworm, Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana (Ratz.) (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae). Phytoprotection. 46: 5-16.; Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.; Miller 1987aMiller 1987a: Miller, W. E. 1987a. Guide to the Olethreutine moths of midland North America (Tortricidae). USDA Forest Service Agriculture Handbook 660: 1-104.
Abies grandis	Pinaceae	Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.
Abies sp.	Pinaceae	Heinrich 1923bHeinrich 1923b: Heinrich, C. 1923b. Revision of the North American moths of the subfamily Eucosminae of the family Olethreutidae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. 123: 1-298.; Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.
Picea abies	Pinaceae	Pentice 1966
Picea engelmanni	Pinaceae	Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.
Picea glauca	Pinaceae	MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.; Pilon 1965Pilon 1965: Pilon, J. G. 1965. Bionomics of the spruce budworm, Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana (Ratz.) (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae). Phytoprotection. 46: 5-16.; Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.; Mutuura & Freeman 1966; Turgeon 1985Turgeon 1985: Turgeon, J. J. 1985. Life cycle and behavior of the spruce budworm Zeiraphera canadensis (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae), in New Brunswick. Canadian Entomologist. 117: 1239-1247., 1986; Turgeon & Regniere 1987; Miller 1987aMiller 1987a: Miller, W. E. 1987a. Guide to the Olethreutine moths of midland North America (Tortricidae). USDA Forest Service Agriculture Handbook 660: 1-104.; Regniere et al. 1988; Quiring 1992
Picea mariana	Pinaceae	Pilon 1965Pilon 1965: Pilon, J. G. 1965. Bionomics of the spruce budworm, Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana (Ratz.) (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae). Phytoprotection. 46: 5-16.; Pentice 1966; Miller 1987aMiller 1987a: Miller, W. E. 1987a. Guide to the Olethreutine moths of midland North America (Tortricidae). USDA Forest Service Agriculture Handbook 660: 1-104.
Picea pungens	Pinaceae	Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.
Picea rubens	Pinaceae	Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.
Picea sitchensis	Pinaceae	Mutuura & Freeman 1966; Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.
Picea sp.	Pinaceae	Heinrich 1923bHeinrich 1923b: Heinrich, C. 1923b. Revision of the North American moths of the subfamily Eucosminae of the family Olethreutidae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. 123: 1-298.
Pseudotsuga menziesii	Pinaceae	Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.
Tsuga heterophylla	Pinaceae	Prentice 1966Prentice 1966: Prentice, R. M. 1966. Vol. 4. Microlepidoptera. In : Forest Lepidoptera of Canada recorded by the Forest Insect Survey. Dept. For. Canada Publ. 1142: 543-840.

Host plant table (embedded)

View full screen host table here

Distribution

Zeiraphera canadensis is broadly distributed in the northern United States and Canada, from Nova Scotia and Maine west to Washington and Alaska. Records from California and Colorado require verification. 

Links

Additional photos and a distribution map of this species in North America are available at Moth Photographers Group.