gypsy moth

a moth, Porthetria dispar, introduced into the U.S. from Europe, the larvae of which feed on the foliage of shade and other trees.

[1810-20]

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Species (Lymantria dispar) of tussock moth, a serious pest of trees.

The European strain was introduced into eastern North America с 1869. The heavy-bodied, weak-flying female is white with black zigzag markings and a wingspan of 1.5–2 in. (38–50 mm). The smaller, darker male is a stronger flier. The voracious larvae can completely defoliate deciduous trees within weeks. The larger Asian gypsy moth (wingspan of about 3.5 in., or 90 mm) is even more threatening because the female is a stronger flier, enabling it to spread quickly, and the larvae eat the leaves of both conifers and deciduous trees. It was introduced into northwestern North America in 1991. Sprayed insecticides remain the most effective means of control.

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▪ insect

       lepidopteran that is a serious pest of both deciduous and evergreen trees.

      The European strain was accidentally introduced into eastern North America about 1869, and by 1889 it had become a serious pest of deciduous forests and fruit trees. By the end of the 20th century the moth had spread to the western Great Lakes region. Damage is less severe in its original European range, where the moth has several natural enemies.

      The heavy-bodied, flightless female moth is white with black zigzag markings and has a wingspan of 38 to 50 mm (1.5 to 2 inches). The smaller, darker male is a strong flier. Eggs deposited in clusters during July are covered with a mass of buff-coloured hair from the female's abdomen. They hatch the following spring. The flat, pale brown larvae, with tufts of stiff brown and yellow hairs on their sides, grow to 50 mm and are voracious feeders. They often completely strip trees of their leaves in several weeks. Unlike most butterflies and moths, the larvae are the main dispersal stage. Small larvae spin silk from glands in their mouthparts and hang from branches high up in trees. If the silk lines are long enough, the wind breaks them from the tree, and the silk acts as a parasail, carrying the young larvae to new, uninfested trees to feed. When larval development is complete, they crawl down the tree trunk, settle in leaf litter at the base of the tree, and enter the pupal stage. The adult moth emerges from the cocoon after about 10 days, completing the annual generation.

      A larger strain, the Asian gypsy moth, has a wingspan of about 90 mm. It poses an even greater threat than its European relative because the female can fly, enabling it to spread quickly, and the larvae, which range in colour from light to dark brown, will eat the leaves of coniferous as well as deciduous trees. It has defoliated millions of hectares of trees in Russia and China and was discovered in northwestern North America in 1991. Spraying of young larvae with either traditional or biological insecticides remains the most effective means of controlling gypsy moths.

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