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Field guide to exotic pests and diseases: Asian gypsy moth
Lymantria dispar(Linnaeus)
Asian gypsy moth egg masses inside the rear wheel of a vehicle
Source: Gary Higgins, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, New Zealand
Adult female (lighter) and male (darker) Asian gypsy moth
Identification: egg masses – contain between 100 - 1000 eggs; covered with buff/yellowish scales, average 38mm long, 20mm wide. Larvae highly variable in colour with long hairs covering the body, two distinctive rows of large spots along the back, usually in five pairs of blue and six pairs of red from head to rear. Adult females white with black markings with wingspan 50mm or more; adult males greyish brown with wingspan about 38mm.
Hosts: larvae feed on the foliage of 600 plant species including oak, birch, willow, elm, eucalyptus, pine, fruit trees, urban ornamental plants.
Distribution: China, Far Eastern Russia, Korea, Japan, USA.
Detection:Eggs and larvae: most often found on forest products, shipping containers, cargo and ships’ structures. Larvae can survive a week without feeding, spin silken threads and spread long distances in the wind.
Adults: females can fly up to 40km and die after laying eggs, males die shortly after mating; both are attracted to light.
Potential impact: causes significant damage to forest, horticultural and urban trees. Of the several biotypes known, the Asian biotype is the most damaging, but all are a risk to Australia.