Datana ministra

(Drury, 1773)

yellownecked caterpillar, Yellow-necked Caterpillar Moth

Datana ministra is a in the , commonly known as the yellownecked . The is distributed across southern Canada and the eastern United States, extending west to California. have a wingspan of approximately 42 mm and produce one per year. The are notable defoliators of various hardwood trees.

Datana ministra larva2 by Gerald J. Lenhard, Louiana State Univ. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.Datana ministra l by Jacy Lucier. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.Datana ministra larva3 by Robert L. Anderson, USDA Forest Service. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Datana ministra: /dæˈteɪnə mɪˈnɪstrə/

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Images

Distribution

Southern Canada (Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Vermont) and the United States east of the Rocky Mountains; southwestern range extends to California.

Seasonality

One per year ().

Diet

feed on Malus (apple), Quercus (oak), Betula (birch), and Salix (willow) .

Host Associations

  • Malus - larval
  • Quercus - larval
  • Betula - larval
  • Salix - larval

Life Cycle

One per year. overwinter. feed on plants during growing season. and timing not specified in sources.

Ecological Role

Larval defoliator of hardwood trees; contributes to natural through leaf consumption. likely regulated by including predatory such as Ammophila procera, which has been documented to use Datana as .

Human Relevance

Occasional pest of ornamental and fruit trees; can cause noticeable . Generally not considered economically significant.

Similar Taxa

  • Datana integerrimaWalnut — congeneric with similar biology and larval habits; both are defoliators of hardwoods
  • Anisota senatoriaOrangestriped — another late-season defoliator of oaks with gregarious larval , though in rather than

More Details

Subspecies

Two recognized: Datana ministra ministra (nominate form) and Datana ministra californica Dyar, 1890 (restricted to California region)

Predation

Documented as of the thread-waisted Ammophila procera, which paralyzes to provision nests

Tags

Sources and further reading