Lymantria dispar asiatica
Lymantria dispar asiatica, the Asian gypsy moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae of Eurasian origin. It is similar to Lymantria dispar dispar in appearance, but adult females can fly. It is classified as a pest and is host to over 500 species of trees, shrubs and plants.
Asian gypsy moth | |
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Mounted male | |
Mounted female | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
Family: | Erebidae |
Genus: | Lymantria |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | L. d. asiatica |
Trinomial name | |
Lymantria dispar asiatica Vnukovskij, 1926 |
Common names
Lymantria dispar asiatica has several common names including the Asian gypsy moth, persimmon caterpillar or persimmon tussock moth.[1]:23
Taxonomy
Lymantria dispar asiatica was originally described as a subspecies of Lymantria dispar by Vnukovskij in 1926.[1]:29 It was synonymized with Lymantria dispar dispar by Schintlmeister in 2004.[1]:29 L. d. asiatica is treated as a subspecies of 'L. dispar'.[1]:29
The species has undergone the same reclassification of the family as Lymantria dispar, moving from Lymantriidae to Noctuidae to Erebidae.[2]
Range
Asia
Found throughout temperate Asia.[1]:25 Usually east of the Ural Mountains up into the far east of Russia and most of China and Korea.[1]:25 It is not found south of the Himalayan range in India.[1]:25
North America
Lymantria dispar asiatica was found in North America in late 1991.[3] It was first found in British Columbia, Canada.[3] It also was found in Washington and Oregon, United States.[3] Transportation was suspected to have been from ships from Russia that had become infested with egg masses, with the eggs having been hatched and the larvae then blown ashore.[3] This infestation was eradicated.[3] It reappeared in Washington in 1997 and was found in Oregon in 2000.[3] It was reported that these infestations were eradicated in 2005.[3]
It was also found in North Carolina in 1997, the transportation having been from shipping cargo containers from Germany.[3] This infestation was eradicated.[3] As of 2021 the Washington State Department of Agriculture is again trying to eradicate both asiatica and L. d. dispar - using Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk) toxin - to prevent their establishment in the state.[4]
Life cycle
Lymantria dispar asiatica has four stages of life: egg, larvae, pupae and moth.[3]
Adult moths
The adult female moth is dirty- to creamy-white, with dark bands across the forewings.[1]:24 The hindwings are white.[1]:24 The female's body is stout and densely covered with hairs, and the antennae are dark brown and thread-like.[1]:24
The adult male moth is smaller than the female moth, and the wings are dark brown with black bands across the forewings.[1]:24 The hindwings are brown and may possess a crescent-shaped discal spot.[1]:24 Its head's front vertex and scape are light brown. The antennae are light brown and feathery.[1]:24
Adult moths are incapable of eating: the adult only mates and lays eggs.[3] Adult moths will die within one to three weeks after emerging.[3]
Eggs
Eggs are laid in clusters that are about the size of a dime.[3] The eggs are dormant during the winter.[3] Larvae will hatch from the eggs in the spring.
Egg placement
In China and Korea, egg masses are placed high up on the under-surfaces of branches of large pine trees.[1]:26 In Russia and Mongolia, eggs are laid on rock outcrops or on the soil under boulders.[1]:24 Egg masses are laid on top of other egg masses or the remains of previous years' egg masses.[1]:24 In far eastern Russia, egg masses are laid on undersides of leaves of deciduous trees.[1]:24 When the leaves fall, the eggs are covered with snow and become insulated from temperatures which would otherwise kill them.[1]:24
Larvae
Full grown larvae are 50–55 mm long and a ground-color gray, laterally irrorated with an irregular pattern of white.[1]:24 Larvae can also be yellow or black.
When larvae hatch, they disperse by ballooning away.[1]:27 Larvae spin silk threads and hang from them, waiting for the wind to blow them to a suitable host.[1]:27 In central Asia, hatching larvae balloon off the ridges.[1]:27 In Mongolia, dispersal is done by ballooning from rock faces or pine trees.[1]:27 Distances vary from a hundred meters up to a kilometer or more, assuming the conditions are right.[1]:27 In China and Korea and larvae disperse to suitable tree species to feed, but adults fly back to the large pines for oviposition, a cycle which is repeated yearly.[1]:27
Efforts to prevent spread
Shipping
Regulations vary, but it is recommended to obtain inspections for all vessels which are active in far eastern Russia, Japan, Korea, and northern China.[5] All shipping vessels could have egg masses, inside or outside the ship.[5] As of August 2012, ships in the Pacific have had interceptions, while the Atlantic has had none.[6]
References
- Pogue, Michael. "A review of selected species of Lymantria Huber [1819]" (PDF). Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
- Zhari; et al. (January 2012). "Molecular phylogenetics of Erebidae (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea)". Systematic Entomology. 37: 102–124. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2011.00607.x.
- "Asian Gypsy Moth" (PDF). APHIS. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- Featherstone, Charles H. (2021-01-06). "WSDA prepares assault on gypsy moth lairs". Basin Business Journal - Central Washington's Farm News. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- "LP Briefing - Asian Gypsy Moth - June 2012". Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- "80 ships in Maritimes inspected for invasive moth". Retrieved September 17, 2012.
External links
- Species Profile – Asian Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar asiatica), National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural Library.
- Asian gypsy moth - Gallery of Pests