European Spruce Needleminer Moth

European Spruce Needleminer Moth

Epinotia nanana

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Toronto

In 3 days ~10%

6 Verified sightings at Toronto
June Best month

About the European Spruce Needleminer Moth

Epinotia nanana, the European spruce needleminer, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found from northern and central Europe to Russia and Mongolia. Epinotia nanana has been found in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec in Canada, and from Maine to Michigan and Ohio in the United States. The larvae feed on most species of spruce, but prefer Norway spruce. The nearly full-grown larvae overwinter in mined needles and resume feeding in the early spring in adjacent needles. Each larva then mines from 6 to 10 needles and secures them to the twig with silk. Full-grown larvae, about 9mm long, pupate in a silken cocoon in the soil litter, or occasionally on the tree in May or June. The pupae become moths in four weeks and the females lay eggs, usually singly, occasionally in clusters, on needles produced in the previous year. The eggs soon hatch, and the larvae feed in needles during summer and fall, and hibernate in the mined needles.

The wingspan is 9–11mm. The head is pale brownish-ochreous, the face whitish. The forewings have a gently arched costa. The ground colour is lighter or darker fuscous, whitish-sprinkled. The costa is strigulated with dark fuscous and white. The edge of the basal patch is obtusely angulated below middle. The central fascia has a posterior median projection, and there is transverse streak before apex. These markings are dark fuscous. The hindwings are rather dark fuscous. The larva is brown; head and plate of 2 black

Adults are on wing from June to August. The larvae feed on Picea abies, Picea excelsa, Picea pungens and Picea sitchensis. They mine the needles of the host plant. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a European Spruce Needleminer Moth in Toronto?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a European Spruce Needleminer Moth sighting in Toronto on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1410th most-seen of the 1689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a European Spruce Needleminer Moth in Toronto?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a European Spruce Needleminer Moth in Toronto on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

Where else can you see a European Spruce Needleminer Moth?

Only Toronto, in our data

Toronto is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate European Spruce Needleminer Moth sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the European Spruce Needleminer Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the European Spruce Needleminer Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Toronto (6 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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