Epinotia meritana
Encyclopedia
The White-Fir Needle Miner (Epinotia meritana) is a moth
of the Tortricidae
family. It is found in the western United States, including Utah
, New Mexico
and Arizona
.
The wingspan
is about 9 mm. Adults are on wing in late June and July. There is one generation per year in New Mexico and Arizona.
The larva
e have been recorded on Abies concolor and Abies magnifica. They mine the needles of their host plant. The mine results in bleached-yellow mined needles. Mature larvae are about 8 mm long, yellowish-green to cream colored, with brown to black heads. Pupae are orange to dark brown, about 5.5 mm in length, and can often be seen protruding from the hole in the mined needle prior to emergence.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Tortricidae
Tortricidae
Tortricidae is a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths, in the order Lepidoptera. Tortricidae is a large family with over 9,400 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea. Many of these are economically important pests. Olethreutidae is a junior synonym...
family. It is found in the western United States, including Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 9 mm. Adults are on wing in late June and July. There is one generation per year in New Mexico and Arizona.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e have been recorded on Abies concolor and Abies magnifica. They mine the needles of their host plant. The mine results in bleached-yellow mined needles. Mature larvae are about 8 mm long, yellowish-green to cream colored, with brown to black heads. Pupae are orange to dark brown, about 5.5 mm in length, and can often be seen protruding from the hole in the mined needle prior to emergence.