A moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) native to Europe and Asia, long known in North America as the Gypsy Moth before the Entomological Society of America adopted its current common name in 2022, whose caterpillars defoliate oak and many other hardwood trees. Deliberately introduced to Massachusetts in 1869 in a failed attempt to breed a hardier silk-producing insect, it has since spread across the northeastern and midwestern United States and Canada, and periodic outbreak years can strip millions of acres of forest canopy, weakening or killing trees already stressed by drought or disease.
Facts
Classification
Quarantine StatusQuarantine Pest (ISPM 5) 2 Connections
Associated With
Apple, Crops The spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth), while primarily a forest defoliator, is also a documented pest of apple orchards among its many hosts.
Caused By Agent Kind
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Spongy Moth (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationOpening definition paragraph
Lymantria dispar, also known as the gypsy moth, and in the United States, the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae native to Europe and Asia. Lymantria dispar is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as L. d. dispar and L. d. japonica being clearly identifiable without ambiguity. Lymantria dispar has been introduced to several continents and is now additionally found as an invasive species in Africa, North America and South America.
lead description
A moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) native to Europe and Asia, long known in North America as the Gypsy Moth before the Entomological Society of America adopted its current common name in 2022, whose caterpillars defoliate oak and many other hardwood trees.
In Group: Moth and Caterpillar Pests, Lead
Lymantria dispar, also known as the gypsy moth, and in the United States, the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae native to Europe and Asia.
View the Source 2. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO): EPPO Global Database: Lymantria dispar categorization
European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO)Categorization tableQuote, Categorization table
A1 list 2019
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