Invasive Species: Lymantria Dispar: Tiffany Chan

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Invasive Species: Lymantria Dispar Tiffany Chan

Song: Embrace (Fred Falke and Miami Horror Remix) - PNAU ft. Ladyhawke Best heard through speakers. Slides automatically change and clicking is unnecessary.

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Lymantria Dispar    

Asian Gypsy Moth Insect family Defoliates trees Destructive to forest ecosystem

Asian Gypsy Moth (John H. Ghent)

Defoliation of hardwood trees along Allegheny Front near Snow Shoe, Pennsylvania in July, 2007. (Dhalusa, 2007)

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Adult Gypsy Moths • Both sexes have hairy bodies • Males – Colour: tan, brown, grey with irregular black wing markings – Wingspan: 4 – 5 cm – Plumose antennas

• Females – Colour: white with faint dark, wavy bands across wing – Wingspan: 5 – 9 cm – Strong fliers

• Asian species larger than European

Male (left) and female (right) gypsy moths (USDA APHIS PPQ Archive)

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Gypsy Moth Eggs • • • •

Length: 15 to 40 mm 1000+ eggs each Oval shaped, raised Beige colour – Hairs, scales shed

• Tree trunks, branches, rocks, buildings, vehicles, outdoor furniture, storage containers, ships

Wintering moth eggs. (Milan Zubrik)

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Larvae • Emerge in spring • Black bodies with yellow stripes – Rows of blue or red tubercles bearing tufts of hair

• From 2-3 mm to 2-3 inches • Pupation lasts for two weeks

Larva (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Archives)

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Pupae • Dark reddish brown – Some yellowish hairs

• Females – 15 to 35 mm

• Males – 15 to 20 mm

• Adults emerge midsummer

Larvae going into pupation. Ferenc Lakatos

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Life Cycle • Procreate annually • Hatching depends on weather – Mid-late April – Sometimes late May

• “Ballooning” adds 5 km to range Larvae “flying” away. (A. Steven Munson)

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Life Cycle • Feed for 6-8 weeks – Varies with weather, host conditions, location

• 5 male instars, 6 female instars • Larvae may disperse in search of more foliage Larvae crawling over a port a potty. Fengyou Jia

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Destruction

Damage from Lymantria dispar (Mark Robinson)

• Consumer – Defoliate, feed on trees, shrubs

• Decomposed, preyed on

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Origins • • • • • •

Eastern Russia China Japan Korea Germany North Africa Map of Asia and Africa Unknown

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Niche : What it Does •

Unknown niche – Repopulates, eaten in short period

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Alder, birch, dogwood, Douglas-fir, hazelnut, hemlock, juniper, larch, maple, oak, pine, poplars, some cedars, some true firs, trembling aspen, willow, apple, apricot ash, beech, cherry, chestnut, elm, hawthorn, holly, linden, peach, pear, plum, redwood, walnut Egg masses on an oak tree. (USDA APHIS PPQ)

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Niche : What Feeds on It • • • • • •

Flies Ground beetles Ants Wasps Spiders Birds – Chickadees, blue jays, nuthatches, towhees, robins, starling, grackles, red-winged blackbirds

•

Woodland mammals – White-footed mouse, shrews, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons – Small mammals responsible for most deaths

•

Calosoma beetles, cuckoos, flocking birds

Invite birds to feed on gypsy moths. Unknown

– Attracted to infested areas 12

Introduction • Medford, Massachusetts (1863) – Amateur entomologist Étienne Léopold Trouvelot – To make caterpillar hybrid that could resist disease

• Moths escaped, found a suitable habitat (1869)

Étienne Léopold Trouvelot Unknown

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Effects • Hairs induces allergic reactions – Skin rash, respiratory problems

• Trees susceptible to disease, bacteria, fungus, drought, insects, forest fires – Ecosystem must reset itself

• Economic industries, recreational areas greatly affected

Gypsy moth egg masses covering tree. (Milan Pernek, 2004)

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Methods of Control •

Entomophaga maimaiga – Native Japanese fungus – Feeds on the moth caterpillars tissue

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Coat egg clusters with pesticide • Collect, seal eggs in cans • Band tree trunks with tanglefoot to kill larvae • Bacillus thuringienisis, diflubenzuron dimilin, acephate orthene, carbaryl sevin

Gypsy moth filled with Entomophaga maimaiga hanging from tree trunk. Donald Specker

Tanglefoot slathered duct tape. Unknown

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Methods of Control •

Wilt disease – LdNPV (Nucleopolyhedrosis) virus – Collapses outbreaks by killing larvae, pupae – Larvae are shiny, hang limply in an inverted ‘V’ position

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Temperature of -29°C for 48 to 72 hours – Kill exposed eggs

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Cold, rainy weather slows growth • Alternate periods of freezing and thawing prevent eggs from hatching

Late instar gypsy moth killed by NPV. Note moist appearance and inverted the "V" position. (D. Specker)

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Conclusion

Plane sprays Bacillus thuringienisis on forest to help control gypsy moth outbreak. (Dale Meyerhoeffer, 2008)

• Attempts to control these pests have been effective – Moths still reproducing

• It will take many years for the trees and the ecosystems of the region to recover 17

Conclusion

Gypsy moth life cycle. Unknown Eggs on a ship. Unknown

A tree stripped by gypsy moth larvae. Unknown

Larvae growing on garden gnome. (Fengyou Jia)

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Works Cited • • • • • • • •

Asian gypsy moth definition of Asian gypsy moth in the Free Online Encyclopedia.. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2009, from http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Asian+gypsy+moth Gypsy Moth. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2009, from http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/gypsymoth.htm Gypsy moth - Canadian Forest Service. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2009, from http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/factsheets/gypsy-moth Gypsy Moth - Urgent Advisory. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2009, from http://www.cosbc.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=377&Itemid=75 Gypsy moth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy_moth Issg Database: Ecology of Lymantria dispar. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2009, from www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?fr=1&si=96 Issg Database: Impact Information for Lymantria dispar. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2009, from http://www.issg.org/database/species/impact_info.asp? si=96&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN (2004). 2004 WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA SET - G8. Chicago : World Book Encyclopedia.

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