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Scientific Name Argyrotaenia occultana Common Name Fall Spruce Needle Moth Habitat Spruce forests. Seasonality End of April to late June. Identification

The forewing is light grey with fine dark grey or black reticulations throughout. Broad bands slanted towards the anal angle are prominent in the basal, median and upper postmedian areas. The head and thorax are…

The forewing is light grey with fine dark grey or black reticulations throughout. Broad bands slanted towards the anal angle are prominent in the basal, median and upper postmedian areas. The head and thorax are dark grey and the abdomen and hindwings are light grey. The larva is green with a darker green middorsal stripe and with some brown markings on the head (Duncan 2006).

Read More + Life History Overwintering is done as a pupa and adults emerge from mid May to late July. Larvae are solitary and web the needles of their hosts (Duncan 2006). Conservation Not of concern. Diet Info Most commonly on spruce (Picea spp.), also Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea), Tamarack (Larix laricina), and Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)(Duncan 2006; MacKay 1962). Range From British Columbia north to the Yukon and Northwest Territories, east to Newfoundland, and south to Kentucky and Oregon. In Alberta found throughout boreal and mountainous regions.