Neoalcis californiaria, the Brown-lined looper, is a common North American moth, with a range along the west coast from British Columbia to California. Its larva is a looper (inchworm) caterpillar that feeds on Douglas Fir and other conifers trees. It is identified by the position of three dark lines on each wing and scalloped edges of the hindwing.
The wingspan is about 34mm.
The Brown-lined Looper's ground color ranges from ashy gray, to light brown to dark brown, with numerous brown speckles and variable patches of darker shading between crosslines. Wing edges are scalloped.
It has three dark transverse lines on both forewing and hindwing, however the middle line may be obscure. When in a resting posture, with wings spread, the darkest crossline (the PM line) of the hindwing is set lower and dose not line up with the darkest line of the forewing.
On the forewing, the basal line is curved convexly and ends on the costa at the basal third. The middle line is broader towards the costa and may be truncated, faded or missing. The third (Postmedial) line has a gentle wave, one point at the lower submedian venule and the third on the median venule.There are discal spots on the hindwing that can be seen when the forewings are open and from the ventral (underside) view.
Males have wide, two-sided, pectinate (feathery) antennae. Packard notes of the specimens he studied that the female was "paler ash, less ochreous and the hind wing more deeply scalloped."
Range
Western North America from coastal British Columbia to Southern California.
Host plants
N. californiaria are "innocuous solitary defoliators", freely feeding on foliage without causing significant damage to healthy trees.
Larvae feed mainly on Douglas Fir. Other food sources include Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, Grand Fir, and Lodgepole Pine.
Life cycle
The caterpillar is a twig-mimicing looper growing up to 35mm long. "Head, tan with rust mottling, vertex moderately cleft. Body, elongate, colour highly variable from rusty brown (most common) to light tan to dark grey. Prominent subspiracular tubercles on the second abdominal segment. Raised pairs of dark tubercles on the dorsum near posterior margin of abdominal segments 2-8." (Natural Resources Canada )
Adults are observed from June to November (depending on the climate), peaking in late summer. The first instar is born and begins feeding by the fall. It overwinters as a mid-instar larva and resumes feeding in the spring. Pupation occurs in June or July.
Color variations in a single population in Oregon.
Notes
↑Note: This general description is based on the original halotype specimen described by Packard. Individual moths may vary by population and subspecies.
References
↑
Savela, Markku. "Neoalcis McDunnough, 1920". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
