Lymantria Dispar Dispar - The Gypsy Moth
The Gypsy Moth (also known as The European Gypsy Moth and The North American Gypsy Moth) is a species of moth native to Europe that has recently been invading North America and causing massive habitat destruction. It lays eggs on and consumes hardwood trees, rapidly increasing its population and killing off large forested areas.
Lymantria dispar dispar is a very small moth, only having a wing length of 20-24mm for males and 31-35mm for females. The males are brown in colour with darker shades in their wings and large, crescent shaped antenna. The females are white with dark brown dots and (short) stripes on them. Both genders have fuzzy heads and legs, with pitch black skin underneath. The caterpillars are even smaller, only being 3mm in length when first born. They have black bodies with bright red and blue dots on their backs, with small black hairs growing off of them.
The female Gypsy moth lays her eggs in dense, well-protected clusters that usually contain from 100-1000 eggs. These egg clusters are almost the same colour as tree bark, and are stuck to the tree using setea, or hair-like structures from the mother's abdomen.
Due to the density and well-camouflaged colour of the egg clusters, they are quite hard to detect and result in hundreds of moths being born. Research has shown that without intervention, the Gypsy Moth spreads about 21km per year, making for a difficult to control invasive species.
Lymantria dispar dispar is a very small moth, only having a wing length of 20-24mm for males and 31-35mm for females. The males are brown in colour with darker shades in their wings and large, crescent shaped antenna. The females are white with dark brown dots and (short) stripes on them. Both genders have fuzzy heads and legs, with pitch black skin underneath. The caterpillars are even smaller, only being 3mm in length when first born. They have black bodies with bright red and blue dots on their backs, with small black hairs growing off of them.
The female Gypsy moth lays her eggs in dense, well-protected clusters that usually contain from 100-1000 eggs. These egg clusters are almost the same colour as tree bark, and are stuck to the tree using setea, or hair-like structures from the mother's abdomen.
Due to the density and well-camouflaged colour of the egg clusters, they are quite hard to detect and result in hundreds of moths being born. Research has shown that without intervention, the Gypsy Moth spreads about 21km per year, making for a difficult to control invasive species.