(USDA-APHIS 2011)
Natural resources canada: the emerald ash borer educational video
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/pages/318
(Wang et al. 2010)
Breakdown of the stages of a. planipennis development
New eggs are ivory-white to jade-green initially, and become brown after approximately 3-4 days. Eggs are usually elliptical and irregular with a rough surface. The time from the egg is laid to hatching can vary greatly with temperature. Eggs deposited around 18-23 degrees Celsius can take 17-19 days to hatch, while at 24-26 degrees Celsius it can take only 12-13 days. The females tend to lay the eggs after a preoviposition period of approximately 10 days. The female tends to lay eggs under bark flaps or in vertical slits in the trunk that are in direct sunlight for warmth. (Wang et al. 2010)
Longest lasting stage of the life cycle. A. planipennis has four larval instars lasts approximately 300 days in total. The larva has a prolate body that is translucent and milk-colored. The head is brown although it is mostly contained within the prothorax, leaving only the mouthparts visible. The abdomen has 10 segments without legs that has a sort of isoceles, trapezoidal shape. The 7th abdomen is wider than the rest. One pair of spiracles are located ventral-laterally on the mesothorax and each of the 1st-8th abdomen segments dorsal laterally. (Wang et al. 2005) Late stage larvae can reach up to 19.45 mm with a width of 2.85 mm. Although full-grown larvae that enter the overwintering chamber varied between 13-22 mm in length and 3-4 mm in width. (Wang et al. 2010).
The pupae are usually 11-16 mm long and 3-5 mm wide. Initially the pupae is a milky-white color and eventually the body changes to become a golden green or brass-like color with a metallic sheen. The pupal stage lasts approximately 20 days when at 18-20 degrees Celsius. (Wang et al. 2010)
Adult A. planipennis has many unique characteristics. The body of A. planipennis can range in color from copper to a greenish gold with a metallic shine. Males are covered in thick, long, silvery-white setae on the front of the thorax and inner femora (plural for femur). The female may have setae but usually are short and few in number. (Wang et al. 2010) The adults are not large beetles, they range from approximately 10-13 mm in length. (Wilson and Rebek 2005)