List of Lepidoptera that feed on birches

Birches, Betula species, are used as food plants by the larvae of a large number of Lepidoptera species including:

Monophagous[]

Species which feed exclusively on Betula

• Bucculatricidae leaf-miners:
  • Bucculatrix canadensisella
  • Bucculatrix coronatella
• Coleophoridae
  • Several Coleophora case-bearer species:
    • C. betulella – only known from silver birch (B. pendula) and downy birch (B. pubescens)
    • C. cornuta
    • C. hornigi
    • C. lentella
    • C. milvipennis
• Notodontidae
  • Leucodonta bicoloria (white prominent)

Polyphagous[]

Species which feed on Betula and other plants

• Bedelliidae
  • Bedellia somnulentella – recorded on paper birch (B. papyrifera)
• Bucculatricidae
  • Bucculatrix demaryella
• Coleophoridae
  • Several Coleophora case-bearer species:
    • C. albovanescens
    • C. anatipennella
    • C. binderella
    • C. comptoniella
    • C. fuscedinella
    • C. fuscocuprella
    • C. ibipennella
    • C. malivorella
    • C. orbitella
    • C. persimplexella
    • C. piperata – recorded on red birch (B. occidentalis)
    • C. potentillae
    • C. pruniella
    • C. serratella
    • C. siccifolia
• Endromidae
  • Endromis versicolora
• Drepanidae
  • Drepana binaria (oak hook-tip)
• Gelechiidae
  • Chionodes viduella
• Geometridae
  • Agriopis marginaria (dotted border)
  • Alcis repandata (mottled beauty)
  • Biston betularia (peppered moth)
  • Biston strataria (oak beauty)
  • Cabera exanthemata (common wave)
  • Cabera pusaria (common white wave)
  • Campaea margaritata (light emerald)
  • Chloroclysta truncata (common marbled carpet)
  • Colotois pennaria (feathered thorn)
  • Crocallis elinguaria (scalloped oak)
  • Ectropis crepuscularia (engrailed)
  • Epirrita autumnata (autumnal moth)
  • Epirrita christyi (pale November moth)
  • Epirrita dilutata (November moth)
  • Erannis defoliaria (mottled umber)
  • Eupithecia subfuscata (grey pug)
  • Geometra papilionaria (large emerald)
  • Hemithea aestivaria (common emerald)
  • Lomaspilis marginata (clouded border)
  • Odontopera bidentata (scalloped hazel)
  • Operophtera brumata (winter moth)
  • Opisthograptis luteolata (brimstone moth)
  • Peribatodes rhomboidaria (willow beauty) – leaves
  • Selenia tetralunaria (purple thorn)
• Hepialidae
  • Gazoryctra wielgusi
  • Korscheltellus gracilis (conifer swift)
  • Sthenopis argenteomaculatus
• Lymantriidae
  • Euproctis chrysorrhoea (brown-tail)
  • Euproctis similis (yellow-tail)
  • Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth) – recorded on paper birch (B. papyrifera) and gray birch (B. populifolia)
• Noctuidae
  • Acronicta leporina (miller)
  • Acronicta psi (grey dagger)
  • Acronicta tridens (dark dagger)
  • Cosmia trapezina (dun-bar)
  • Euplexia lucipara (small angle shades)
  • Eupsilia transversa (satellite)
  • Melanchra persicariae (dot moth) – recorded on silver birch (B. pendula)
  • Noctua comes (lesser yellow underwing)
  • Orthosia gothica (Hebrew character)
  • Panolis flammea (pine beauty)
  • Phlogophora meticulosa (angle shades)
  • Xestia triangulum (double square-spot)
• Notodontidae
  • Nadata gibbosa (rough prominent)
  • Phalera bucephala (buff-tip)
  • Ptilodon capucina (coxcomb prominent)
• Nymphalidae
  • Limenitis arthemis (American white admiral/red-spotted purple) – prefers sweet birch (B. lenta) over yellow birch (B. alleghaniensis)
• Saturniidae
  • Actias luna (luna moth)
  • Pavonia pavonia (emperor moth)
• Sphingidae
  • Ceratomia amyntor (elm sphinx)
  • Laothoe populi (poplar hawk-moth)
  • Mimas tiliae (lime hawk-moth)
  • Smerinthus jamaicensis (twin-spotted sphinx)
• Tortricidae
  • Syndemis musculana

External links[]

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