Alnus
Guides
Acronicta sperata
Hopeful Dagger Moth, Hopeful Dagger
Acronicta sperata, commonly known as the Hopeful Dagger Moth, is a North American noctuid moth described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1873. Adults have a wingspan of 30–35 mm and are active from May to June. The larvae feed on Populus (poplar) and Alnus (alder) species. Two subspecies are recognized: A. s. sperata and A. s. speratina.
Agromyza alnibetulae
Agromyza alnibetulae is a leaf-mining fly in the family Agromyzidae. The species is associated with alder (Alnus) and birch (Betula) host plants, as indicated by its specific epithet. Larvae create serpentine or blotch mines in leaves. Adults are small, typically 2-3 mm in length, with the reduced wing venation characteristic of the genus.
Agromyza alnivora
alder leafminer fly
Agromyza alnivora is a leaf-mining fly in the family Agromyzidae, described by Spencer in 1969. The species is associated with alder (Alnus) as its host plant, as indicated by its specific epithet. Like other members of the genus, the larvae create serpentine or blotch mines within leaf tissue. The species is documented from North America.
Alniphagus aspericollis
alder bark beetle
Alniphagus aspericollis is a hardwood-killing bark beetle that colonizes and kills red alder (Alnus rubra) and thinleaf alder (Alnus tenuifolia). Unlike most tree-killing bark beetles that attack conifers, this species is one of the few capable of directly killing hardwood hosts. It is bivoltine in southwestern British Columbia, with principal attacks in May and a second generation from mid-July to early August. The beetle constructs maternal galleries parallel to the bole in the phloem-cambium, where larvae develop and pupate. It shows loose associations with ophiostomatoid fungi but has a consistent relationship with an undescribed Neonectria species that may function as a symbiote.
Drepana
hook-tip moths
Drepana is a genus of hook-tip moths in the family Drepanidae, subfamily Drepaninae. The genus includes species with distinctive falcate (sickle-shaped) forewings that give the group its common name. Larvae are folivorous, feeding primarily on birch and alder. Some species exhibit notable vibrational communication behaviors during larval territorial contests. Adults are nocturnal and fly primarily in spring and summer.
Phyllonorycter auronitens
Phyllonorycter auronitens is a minute leaf-mining moth in the family Gracillariidae, with a wingspan of 6.5–8.2 mm. The species is known from eastern Canada and the northeastern and north-central United States. Larvae are specialized feeders on Alnus (alder) species, creating blotch mines within leaves.
Rheumaptera subhastata
white-banded black moth
Rheumaptera subhastata is a geometrid moth occurring across the Palearctic and Nearctic realms, with a broad distribution in western North America. Adults are active in late spring and early summer, with a single annual generation. The species is one of two Rheumaptera in North America, closely related to and often confused with R. hastata.
Stigmella undescribed-species-on-alnus
An undescribed species of pygmy moth in the genus Stigmella, recognized by its association with alder (Alnus) as a host plant. The species has been documented as a leafminer on alder but has not yet received a formal scientific name. As a member of the Nepticulidae, it is part of a diverse family of minute moths whose larvae create distinctive mines in leaves.