Xerodes rufescentaria is a brown inchworm moth of East Asia, with three dark crosslines on each forewing. It lives in Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and neighboring parts of Russia and China, and is not found in the US. In Japan its caterpillars sometimes break out in numbers large enough to strip whole larch plantations.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Wingspan about 1.2–1.8 in (30–45 mm). Forewings pale grayish brown to dark brown with three dark crosslines; hindwings grayish white.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Conifer forests
- Range
- Japan, the Korean Peninsula, eastern Russia, and northeastern China. Not found in North America.
Behavior
- Activity
- Adults come to lights.
- Overwintering
- In Japan it overwinters as a pupa in the soil.
Life cycle
- Larva
- An inchworm up to about 1.6 in (40 mm) long, yellow-green with dark brown lines.
- Caterpillar food plants
- In Japan the caterpillars feed mainly on larch, and also on Japanese cedar and pines.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Formerly placed in the genus Zethenia, now merged into Xerodes.
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