The pine conelet looper, Nepytia semiclusaria (Walker), attacks loblolly, sand, 
shortleaf, and slash pines from southeastern Virginia south and west to eastern 
Texas. The mature larva is from 25 to 50 mm long. It is vividly marked with a 
broad, brick-red dorsal stripe flanked by paired bright-yellow lateral stripes sepa- 
rated by a series of fine black and white lines. Head, thoracic legs, and prolegs are 
bright orange. The adult is grayish tan with a wingspread of from 25 to 30 mm. 
Each front wing is crossed by a pair of brown scalloped lines while a single similar 
line occurs on each hindwing. This species overwinters as an egg in masses under 
bark scales. Hatching occurs early in the growing season and the young larvae feed 
on the female flowers and conelets of slash, loblolly, and shortleaf pines and 
possibly also sand pine. In sand pine, old-growth foliage is the principal food 
(359). Pupae are found among the needles. N. pellucidaria (Packard) occurs on fir, 
larch, pine, spruce, and hemlock in the Northeastern States. 
The false hemlock looper, NV. canosaria (Walker), occurs on hemlock, fir, white 
and black spruces, northern white-cedar, and larch in the Northeastern States and 
southern Canada, often in conjunction wiin hemlock looper (/036). Full-grown 
larvae are about 25 mm long. The head is whitish or reddish brown and bears a few 
black dots; the body is whitish to green with tinges of yellow or red, black dotted, 
and has a yellowish stripe on each side below which are four or five dark, wavy 
lines. Larvae are present from June to August. The ellipsoidal eggs are truncated at 
one end and laid on bark in small clusters (434). 
The hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria (Guenée), occurs from New- 
foundland to Alberta in Canada and south to Georgia in the Eastern States. Its 
preferred hosts are balsam fir, white spruce, and hemlock. It also feeds on many 
other species during outbreaks such as larch, red and black spruces, jack pine, 
basswood, maple, paper and yellow birches, elm, and cherry. In the more southerly 
portions of its range, infestations develop mainly on hemlock. Outbreaks were 
recorded in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and Maine during the 1920's 
and in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont from 1949 to 1952. However, 
severe, prolonged outbreaks have been recorded only in eastern Canada (/036). 
The adult is creamy tan to grayish brown with a tinge of purple and has a 
wingspread of about 62 mm. Two irregular purplish-brown lines cross the fore- 
wings, and a dot of the same color lies between them near the costal margin. Full- 
grown larvae are usually grayish green to grayish and are about 30 mm long. The 
head and body are marked with distinct black dots. 
Adults are present from around mid-August to early October and deposit their 
eggs singly or in small groups on moss, lichens, or bark on limbs and trunks. 
Winter is spent in the egg stage and hatching occurs in June. Young larvae feed on 
opening buds or on old needles. Needles are often chewed off at the base and drop; 
others that are partially chewed off, usually dry out, turn brown, then drop. 
Pupation takes place in bark crevices, or in masses of lichens on or near the bark 
(198). 
Hemlock looper outbreaks may develop very suddenly, the most serious ones 
occurring in mature and overmature hemlock and balsam fir stands. 
The eastern pine looper, L. pellucidaria (Grote & Robinson), occurs in several 
Atlantic Coast States and feeds on pitch, red, shortleaf, loblolly, pond, and possibly 
other pines. Several widespread outbreaks have been recorded during the past 70- 
odd years. The adult is ash gray to smoky in color and has a wingspread of about 37 
mm. The forewing is crossed by two irregular diffuse dusky lines and bears a 
slightly sinuate discal dot. The hindwing is also crossed by a dusky line. Full-grown 
198 
