THE COMMUNITY OF MACROLEPIDOPTEROUS LARVAE AT COOPERS ROCK STATE FOREST, WEST-VIRGINIA - A BASE-LINE STUDY

During 1984 and 1985 macrolepidopterous larvae were collected by pole pruning of foliage of black birch, mixed oaks, black cherry, and red maple at Cooper's Rock State Forest in northern West Virginia. A total of 3027 larvae representing 100 species in 14 families was collected. The most abundant species were the noctuids Polia latex (Gn.) and Morrisonia confusa (Hbn.), and the geometrids Probole amicaria (H.-S.), Itame pustularia (Gn.), and Melanolophia canadaria (Gn.). Of the 100 total species of larvae, 43 were recorded from birch, 61 from mixed oaks, 63 from black cherry, and 57 from red maple.