Bruce Spanworm Moth
Operophtera bruceata
The females are flightless and wingless; they must crawl up the trunks of trees to attract flying males with pheromones.
- Scientific name
- Operophtera bruceata
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Geometridae › Operophtera
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous and mixed-wood forests, specifically favoring stands of maple, beech, and birch.
- Diet
- Larvae are generalist feeders on deciduous foliage; adults possess vestigial mouthparts and do not feed.
- Range
- North America, Canada, Northern United States
- Size
- Males: 25-30mm wingspan; Females: 5-8mm length
- Lifespan
- 1 year
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation and the use of non-specific aerial pesticides during larval outbreaks.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless to humans. They do not bite, sting, or possess irritating hairs. You can safely observe them on tree trunks during late autumn evenings; no physical contact is necessary.
Operophtera bruceata , the bruce spanworm , or (in North America) "winter moth" is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. It is found from coast to coast in southern Canada and the northern parts of the United States.
Photo: Bill Keim, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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