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WOOLLY-BEAR CATERPILLARS OF GRAMMIA BLAKEI (GRT.) (LEPIDOPTERA: ARCTIIDAE) — AN OCCASIONAL PEST OF NATIVE RANGE PASTURES AND ADJACENT CROPS IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND SOUTHWESTERN SASKATCHEWAN

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

J.R. Byers
J.R. Byers
Affiliation:
Agriculture Canada Research Station, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1J 4B1
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Abstract

The woolly-bear caterpillars of Grammia (= Apantesis) blakei (Grt.) are sometimes abundant on native range pastures in the short-grass region of southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan and occasionally cause early season damage to adjacent cultivated crops. The larvae overwinter as mid- to late-instars in protected sites on the soil surface and begin feeding in the spring as soon as new plant growth is available. They are general feeders on both mono- and dicotyledonous plants. Larval densities exceeding 10/m2 were found at several locations from 1982 to 1985 and historical records indicate that densities sometimes exceed 50/m2. The moths are present in late May through June but are rarely observed or collected. In Canada the species is univoltine with a mid-larval summer diapause.

Résumé

Les chenilles laineuses de Grammia (= Apantesis) blakei (Grt.) sont parfois abondantes en parcours dans la région à herbes courtes du sud de l’Alberta et du sud-ouest de la Saskatchewan, et causent occasionnellement des dégâts aux plantes cultivées du voisinage. Les larves hivernent sous forme de stades intermédiaires à tardifs dans des emplacements protégés à la surface du sol et commencent à se nourrir au printemps dès qu’apparaissent les nouvelles pousses végétales. Elles se nourrissent autant de mono que de dicotylédones. On a trouvé des densités larvaires dépassant 10/m2 à plusieurs endroits de 1982 à 1985 et les annales révèlent que les densités dépassent parfois 50/m2. Les papillons nocturnes apparaissent de la fin mai à la fin juin, mais sont rarement observés ou récoltés. Au Canada, l’espèce est univoltine et comprend une diapause estivale.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 120 , Issue 10 , October 1988 , pp. 927 - 935
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1988

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