List of Lepidoptera that feed on alders

Alders (Alnus species) are used as food plants by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species:

Monophagous[]

Species which feed exclusively on Alnus:

Bucculatricidae
- Bucculatrix locuples – only on tag alder (A. serrulata)
Coleophoridae
- Coleophora alnifoliae
Geometridae
- Hydriomena impluviata (May highflyer)
Pyralidae
- Glyptoteles leucacrinella

Polyphagous[]

Species which feed on Alnus among other plants:

Arctiidae
- Arctia caja (great tiger moth)
- Halysidota tessellaris (banded tussock moth)
- Lophocampa maculata (spotted tussock moth)
- Spilosoma luteum (buff ermine)
Bucculatricidae
- Bucculatrix cidarella – recorded on black alder (A. glutinosa), grey alder (A. (incana) incana) and green alder (A. viridis)
Coleophoridae
- Several Coleophora species:
  - C. alniella
  - C. anatipennella
  - C. binderella – recorded on black alder (A. glutinosa)
  - C. comptoniella
  - C. fuscedinella
  - C. malivorella
  - C. orbitella
  - C. persimplexella – recorded on green alder (A. viridis)
  - C. pruniella
  - C. serratella
Drepanidae
- Drepana arcuata (arched hooktip)
- Drepana binaria (oak hook-tip)
Geometridae
- Agriopis marginaria (dotted border)
- Alcis repandata (mottled beauty)
- Antepione thisoaria (variable antepione)
- Besma quercivoraria (oak besma)^[1]
- Biston betularia (peppered moth)
- Cabera exanthemata (common wave)
- Cabera pusaria (common white wave)
- Campaea perlata (pale beauty)
- Chloroclysta truncata (common marbled carpet)
- Cingilia catenaria (chain-dotted geometer)
- Crocallis elinguaria (scalloped oak)
- Cyclophora pendulinaria (sweetfern geometer)
- Ectropis crepuscularia (engrailed)
- Ennomos magnaria (maple spanworm)
- Epirrita autumnata (autumnal moth)
- Eupithecia subfuscata (grey pug)
- Geometra papilionaria (large emerald)
- Hypagyrtis unipunctata (one-spotted variant)
- Iridopsis larvaria (bent-lined gray)
- Melanolophia canadaria (Canadian melanolophia)
- Nematocampa resistaria (filament bearer)^[2]
- Odontopera bidentata (scalloped hazel) – recorded on grey alder (A. (incana) incana)
- Operophtera bruceata (Bruce spanworm)^[2]
- Pero hubneraria (Hübner's pero)
- Selenia tetralunaria (purple thorn)
- Tetracis cachexiata (white slant-line)
Hepialidae
Lasiocampidae
- Malacosoma disstria (forest tent caterpillar moth)
- Phyllodesma americana (lappet moth)
Lymantriidae
- Euproctis similis (yellow-tail)
- Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth) – recorded on speckled alder (A. (incana) rugosa)
- Orgyia antiqua (rusty tussock moth)^[3]
Megalopygidae
- Megalopyge crispata (black-waved flannel moth)
Noctuidae
- Acronicta americana (American dagger moth)^[4]
- Acronicta dactylina (fingered dagger moth)
- Acronicta funeralis (funerary dagger moth)
- Acronicta grisea (gray dagger)
- Acronicta leporina (miller)
- Acronicta megacephala (poplar grey) – recorded on grey alder (A. (incana) incana)
- Acronicta psi (grey dagger)
- Lithophane innominata (nameless pinion)
- Melanchra assimilis
- Melanchra persicariae (dot moth) – recorded on grey alder (A. (incana) incana)
- Orthosia gothica (Hebrew character) – recorded on grey alder (A. (incana) incana)
- Palthis angulalis (dark-spotted palthis)
Notodontidae
- Nadata gibbosa (rough prominent)
- Oligocentria semirufescens (red-washed prominent)^[5]
- Ptilodon capucina (coxcomb prominent)
Nymphalidae
- Limenitis arthemis (American white admiral/red-spotted purple) – recorded on speckled alder (A. (incana) rugosa)
Saturniidae
- Hyalophora columbia (Columbia silkmoth) – recorded on speckled alder (A. (incana) rugosa)
- Pavonia pavonia (emperor moth)
Sphingidae
- Amorpha juglandis (walnut sphinx)
- Laothoe populi (poplar hawk-moth)
- Mimas tiliae (lime hawk-moth)

References[]

^ Pohl, Greg; Anweiler, Gary; Schmidt, Christian & Kondla, Norbert (2010). Annotated List of the Lepidoptera of Alberta, Canada. Pensoft Publishers LTD. p. 431. ISBN 9789546425348.
^ ^a ^b "Photographs of the Species: Skippers, Butterflies, & Moths: Chapter 5" (PDF). HJ Andrews Experimental Forest - Long Term Ecological Research.
^ "Home of the Database of Insects and their Food Plants". Biological Records Centre.
^ "Acronicta innotata Guenée, 1852". Pacific Northwest Moths.
^ Fauske, G. M. (April 2009). "Oligocentria semirufescens (Walker 1865)". North Dakota State University.

External links[]

Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian J.; Beccaloni, George W. & Hernández, Luis M. (2010). "Hostplant Genus: Alnus". HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.

[1] Pohl, Greg; Anweiler, Gary; Schmidt, Christian & Kondla, Norbert (2010). Annotated List of the Lepidoptera of Alberta, Canada. Pensoft Publishers LTD. p. 431. ISBN 9789546425348.

[:0-2] "Photographs of the Species: Skippers, Butterflies, & Moths: Chapter 5" (PDF). HJ Andrews Experimental Forest - Long Term Ecological Research.

[3] "Home of the Database of Insects and their Food Plants". Biological Records Centre.

[4] "Acronicta innotata Guenée, 1852". Pacific Northwest Moths.

[5] Fauske, G. M. (April 2009). "Oligocentria semirufescens (Walker 1865)". North Dakota State University.

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