Alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

s (''Alnus'' species) are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of a number of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species:

Monophagous A generalist species is able to thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make use of a variety of different resources (for example, a heterotroph with a varied diet). A specialist species can thrive only in a narrow range of e ...

Species which feed exclusively on ''Alnus'': *

Bucculatricidae Bucculatricidae or (Bucculatrigidae) is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae. Adults of this family are easily overlooked, bein ...

** '' Bucculatrix locuples'' – only on tag alder ('' A. serrulata'') *

Coleophoridae __NOTOC__ The Coleophoridae are a family of small moths, belonging to the huge superfamily Gelechioidea. Collectively known as case-bearers, casebearing moths or case moths, this family is represented on all continents, but the majority are foun ...

** '' Coleophora alnifoliae'' *

Geometridae The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''met ...

** ''

Hydriomena impluviata The May highflyer (''Hydriomena impluviata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found across the Palearctic region and the Near East although its range is largely determined by the presence of its larval food plant. The species was Speci ...

'' (May highflyer) *

Pyralidae The Pyralidae, commonly called pyralid moths, snout moths or grass moths, are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many (particularly older) classifications, the grass moths (Crambidae) are included in the Pyrali ...

** ''

Glyptoteles leucacrinella ''Glyptoteles'' is a monotypic moth genus belonging to the family Pyralidae. Its single species, described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1848, ''Glyptoteles leucacrinella'', is found in most of Europe except Great Britain, Ireland, Fennoscandia ...

Polyphagous Feeding is the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food. Terminology often uses either the suffixes -vore, -vory, or -vorous from Latin ''vorare'', meaning "to devour", or -phage, -phagy, or -phagous from Greek φαγε ...

Species which feed on ''Alnus'' among other plants: *

Arctiidae The Arctiinae (formerly called the family Arctiidae) are a large and diverse subfamily of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species.Scoble, MJ. (1995). ''The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and D ...

** ''

Arctia caja The garden tiger moth or great tiger moth (''Arctia caja'') is a moth of the family Erebidae. ''Arctia caja'' is a northern species found in the US, Canada, and Europe. The moth prefers cold climates with temperate seasonality, as the larvae ove ...

'' (great tiger moth) ** ''

Halysidota tessellaris ''Halysidota tessellaris'', also called the pale tiger moth, banded tussock moth, and tessellated halisidota, is in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. Lik ...

'' (banded tussock moth) ** ''

Lophocampa maculata ''Lophocampa maculata'', the Yellow-spotted tussock moth, mottled tiger or spotted halisidota, is a moth of the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. The species was first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841. It is f ...

'' (spotted tussock moth) ** ''

Spilosoma luteum The buff ermine (''Spilarctia luteum'') is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is sometimes placed in the genus '' Spilosoma''. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1766. It is found throughout the temperate belt of the ...

'' (buff ermine) *

** '' Bucculatrix cidarella'' – recorded on

black alder Black alder is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *''Alnus glutinosa ''Alnus glutinosa'', the common alder, black alder, European alder, European black alder, or just alder, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, nativ ...

(''A. glutinosa''),

grey alder ''Alnus incana'', the grey alder or speckled alder, is a species of multi-stemmed, shrubby tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Tolerant of wetter soils, it can slowly spread with runners ...

(''A.'' (''incana'') ''incana'') and

green alder ''Alnus alnobetula'' is a common tree widespread across much of Europe, Asia, and North America. Many sources refer to it as ''Alnus viridis'', the green alder, but botanically this is considered an illegitimate name synonymous with ''Alnus alno ...

(''A. viridis'') *

** Several ''

Coleophora ''Coleophora'' is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. Many authors hav ...

'' species: *** '' C. alniella'' *** '' C. anatipennella'' *** '' C. binderella'' – recorded on black alder (''A. glutinosa'') *** '' C. comptoniella'' *** '' C. fuscedinella'' *** '' C. malivorella'' *** '' C. orbitella'' *** '' C. persimplexella'' – recorded on green alder (''A. viridis'') *** '' C. pruniella'' *** '' C. serratella'' *

Drepanidae The Drepanidae are a family of moths with about 660 species described worldwide. They are generally divided in three subfamilies) which share the same type of hearing organ. Thyatirinae, previously often placed in their own family, bear a super ...

** '' Drepana arcuata'' (arched hooktip) ** '' Drepana binaria'' (oak hook-tip) *

**''

Agriopis marginaria The dotted border (''Agriopis marginaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1776. It is found throughout Europe, except the far north, and the Near East. The female of this ...

'' (dotted border) ** ''

Alcis repandata The mottled beauty (''Alcis repandata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Subspecies and forms Subspecies and forms include: *''Alcis repan ...

'' (mottled beauty) ** '' Antepione thisoaria'' (variable antepione) ** ''

Besma quercivoraria ''Besma quercivoraria'', the oak besma, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1857. It is found across southern Canada (from Newfoundland to British Columbia) and all of the United States ex ...

'' (oak besma) ** ''

Biston betularia The peppered moth (''Biston betularia'') is a temperate species of night-flying moth. It is mostly found in the northern hemisphere in places like Asia, Europe and North America. Peppered moth evolution is an example of population genetics an ...

'' (peppered moth) ** ''

Cabera exanthemata The common wave (''Cabera exanthemata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1763 ''Entomologia Carniolica''. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East. ...

'' (common wave) ** ''

Cabera pusaria The common white wave (''Cabera pusaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found throughout the Palearctic region .The habitat is decid ...

'' (common white wave) ** '' Campaea perlata'' (pale beauty) ** ''

Chloroclysta truncata The common marbled carpet (''Dysstroma truncata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is sometimes placed in the genus '' Chloroclysta''. It is very common throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East. The species was first described ...

'' (common marbled carpet) ** '' Cingilia catenaria'' (chain-dotted geometer) ** ''

Crocallis elinguaria The scalloped oak (''Crocallis elinguaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Distribution This common species can be found from Europe to eas ...

'' (scalloped oak) ** ''

Cyclophora pendulinaria ''Cyclophora pendulinaria'', the sweetfern geometer moth or pearly-grey wave, is a moth in the family Geometridae. Overview It is found in North America, where it is found from Newfoundland and Labrador west to the Yukon and coastal British Co ...

'' (sweetfern geometer) ** ''

Ectropis crepuscularia The engrailed and small engrailed (''Ectropis crepuscularia'') are moths of the family Geometridae found from the British Isles through central and eastern Europe to the Russian Far East and Kazakhstan. The western Mediterranean and Asia Minor ...

'' (engrailed) ** ''

Ennomos magnaria ''Ennomos magnaria'', the maple spanworm moth, notched wing moth, notched-wing geometer or notch-wing moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1858. It is found from coast to coast in south ...

'' (maple spanworm) ** ''

Epirrita autumnata The autumnal moth (''Epirrita autumnata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen in 1794. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East and has a much wider distri ...

'' (autumnal moth) ** ''

Eupithecia subfuscata The grey pug (''Eupithecia subfuscata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region. It is also found in North America. Since it does not place any special demands on climatic conditions, special caterpilla ...

'' (grey pug) ** ''

Geometra papilionaria The large emerald (''Geometra papilionaria'') is a moth which is the type species for the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East in and around deciduous forests, heathlands, marshland and in settlem ...

'' (large emerald) ** '' Hypagyrtis unipunctata'' (one-spotted variant) ** '' Iridopsis larvaria'' (bent-lined gray) ** ''

Melanolophia canadaria ''Melanolophia canadaria'', the Canadian melanolophia, is a moth of the family (biology), family Geometridae. The species was Species description, first described by Achille Guenée in 1857. They are on wing from March to September in two generat ...

'' (Canadian melanolophia) ** '' Nematocampa resistaria'' (filament bearer) ** ''

Odontopera bidentata The scalloped hazel (''Odontopera bidentata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759. Distribution It is a common species of northern and central Europe including the British Is ...

'' (scalloped hazel) – recorded on grey alder (''A.'' (''incana'') ''incana'') ** '' Operophtera bruceata'' (Bruce spanworm) ** ''

Pero hubneraria ''Pero ancetaria'', or Hübner's pero, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1806. It is found in the eastern part of the United States, Ontario and Quebec. The wingspan is 31–37 mm. Ad ...

'' (Hübner's pero) ** ''

Selenia tetralunaria The purple thorn (''Selenia tetralunaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767. It is a species of northern and central Europe. It has a scattered distribution in Britain b ...

'' (purple thorn) ** ''

Tetracis cachexiata ''Tetracis cachexiata'', the white slant-line or white slaut,White Slaut
Natural Resources Canada is a

'' (white slant-line) *

Hepialidae The Hepialidae are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths. Taxonomy and systematics The Hepialidae constitute by far the most diverse group of the infraorder Exopo ...

** '' Endoclita auratus'' ** '' Endoclita undulifer'' ** ''

Sthenopis argenteomaculatus ''Sthenopis argenteomaculatus'', the silver-spotted ghost moth, is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841, and is known in North America from Nova Scotia to North Carolina and west t ...

'' *

Lasiocampidae The Lasiocampidae are a family of moths also known as eggars, tent caterpillars, snout moths (although this also refers to the Pyralidae), or lappet moths. Over 2,000 species occur worldwide, and probably not all have been named or studied. It i ...

** '' Malacosoma disstria'' (forest tent caterpillar moth) ** ''

Phyllodesma americana ''Phyllodesma americana'', the American lappet moth, is a moth of the family Lasiocampidae. It is found from Nova Scotia to orthern Florida west through Texas to California, north to British Columbia and Yukon. The wingspan is 29–49 mm ...

'' (lappet moth) *

Lymantriidae The Lymantriinae (formerly called the Lymantriidae) are a subfamily of moths of the family Erebidae. The taxon was erected by George Hampson in 1893. Many of its component species are referred to as "tussock moths" of one sort or another. The cat ...

**'' Euproctis similis'' (yellow-tail) ** ''

Lymantria dispar ''Lymantria dispar'', also known as the gypsy moth or the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. ''Lymantria dispar'' is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as ''L. d. dispar'' and ''L. d. japonica'' bei ...

'' (gypsy moth) – recorded on

speckled alder ''Alnus incana'', the grey alder or speckled alder, is a species of multi-stemmed, shrubby tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Tolerant of wetter soils, it can slowly spread with runners ...

(''A.'' (''incana'') ''rugosa'') ** ''

Orgyia antiqua ''Orgyia antiqua'', the rusty tussock moth or vapourer, is a moth in the family Erebidae. Distribution and status ''O. antiqua'' is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution in the Palaearctic and the Nearctic regions. The sp ...

'' (rusty tussock moth) *

Megalopygidae The flannel moths or crinkled flannel moths (scientific name Megalopygidae) are a family of insects. They occur in North America (11 species) and the New World tropics. Distribution and habitat The moth occurs in North America and the New World ...

** '' Megalopyge crispata'' (black-waved flannel moth) *

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

**''

Acronicta americana ''Acronicta'' is a genus of noctuid moths containing about 150 species distributed mainly in the temperate Holarctic, with some in adjacent subtropical regions. The genus was erected by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Natu ...

'' (American dagger moth) ** '' Acronicta dactylina'' (fingered dagger moth) ** '' Acronicta funeralis'' (funerary dagger moth) ** '' Acronicta grisea'' (gray dagger) ** ''

Acronicta leporina The miller (''Acronicta leporina'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout Europe apart from the far south-east. The range extends from the South of Spain, Central Italy and Bulgaria to Scotland and Central Scandinavia, cros ...

'' (miller) ** ''

Acronicta megacephala The poplar grey (''Acronicta megacephala'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout Europe. Technical description and variation ''A. megacephala'' F. (3b). Forewing pale grey, suffused with dark, except in a patch beyond cell ...

'' (poplar grey) – recorded on grey alder (''A.'' (''incana'') ''incana'') ** ''

Acronicta psi The grey dagger (''Acronicta psi'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. Distribution This species can be found from Europe and North Africa to northern Iran, central Asia, southern and central Siberia and Mongolia. In the Levant it is found in ...

'' (grey dagger) ** '' Lithophane innominata'' (nameless pinion) ** '' Melanchra assimilis'' ** ''

Melanchra persicariae The dot moth (''Melanchra persicariae'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. It is a very distinctive species with very dark brown, almost black, forewings marked with a large white stigm ...

'' (dot moth) – recorded on grey alder (''A.'' (''incana'') ''incana'') ** ''

Orthosia gothica The Hebrew character (''Orthosia gothica'') is a moth in the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found throughout Europe. Both the common and binomial name ...

'' (Hebrew character) – recorded on grey alder (''A.'' (''incana'') ''incana'') ** '' Palthis angulalis'' (dark-spotted palthis) *

Notodontidae Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,800 known species. The family was described by James Francis Stephens in 1829. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, espe ...

**''

Nadata gibbosa The rough prominent (''Nadata gibbosa'') is a moth of the family Notodontidae, subfamily Phalerinae. It is also known as the white-dotted prominent and the tawny prominent. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. This c ...

'' (rough prominent) ** '' Oligocentria semirufescens'' (red-washed prominent) ** '' Ptilodon capucina'' (coxcomb prominent) *

Nymphalidae The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a red ...

** ''

Limenitis arthemis ''Limenitis arthemis,'' the red-spotted purple or white admiral, is a North American butterfly species in the cosmopolitan genus ''Limenitis''. It has been studied for its evolution of mimicry, and for the several stable hybrid wing patterns wi ...

'' (American white admiral/red-spotted purple) – recorded on speckled alder (''A.'' (''incana'') ''rugosa'') *

Saturniidae Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor moths, royal moths, and gi ...

** ''

Hyalophora columbia ''Hyalophora columbia'', the Columbia silkmoth or larch silkmoth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. In the east it is found from Quebec and Ontario to Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and south-eastern Manitoba. In the west it is found from Alber ...

'' (Columbia silkmoth) – recorded on speckled alder (''A.'' (''incana'') ''rugosa'') ** ''

Pavonia pavonia ''Saturnia pavonia'', the small emperor moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Sometimes, the incorrect genus name ''Pavonia'' is still used for this ...

'' (emperor moth) *

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths (Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, bu ...

** ''

Amorpha juglandis ''Amorpha juglandis'', the walnut sphinx, is the only species in the monotypic moth genus ''Amorpha'', which is in the family Sphingidae, erected by Jacob Hübner in 1809. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. Distribu ...

'' (walnut sphinx) ** ''

Laothoe populi ''Laothoe populi'', the poplar hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East and ...

'' (poplar hawk-moth) ** ''

Mimas tiliae ''Mimas tiliae'', the lime hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East, and has also been identified in Canada's east and western provinces and in northern Spain (Europe). The speci ...

'' (lime hawk-moth)

References

External links

*{{cite web , last1=Robinson , first1=Gaden S. , last2=Ackery , first2=Phillip R. , last3=Kitching , first3=Ian J. , last4=Beccaloni , first4=George W. , last5=Hernández , first5=Luis M. , name-list-style=amp , date=2010 , url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/search/list.dsml?&PGenus=Alnus&sort=Family , title=Hostplant Genus: ''Alnus'' , website=HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants , publisher=

Natural History Museum, London The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

Alnus Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...