Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
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729
728
Egg band of lackey moth (
Malacosoma neustria
).
729
Larval tent of lackey moth (
Malacosoma neustria
) on
Prunus
.
730
by late June or early July. They then pupate in white or
yellowish, double-walled cocoons spun between leaves,
in bark fissures or amongst herbage on the ground.
Adults emerge about three weeks later.
DAMAGE
Defoliation is often severe, with infested branches or
even whole trees stripped of leaves and covered in
webbing. Growth, particularly of young trees, may be
seriously affected.
Poecilocampa populi
(Linnaeus) (
730-731
)
December moth
Widely distributed and locally common, the larvae
feeding from late April to June on trees such as birch
(
Betula
), crab-apple (
Malus
), flowering cherry (
Prunus
),
hawthorn (
Crataegus
), lime (
Tilia
), oak (
Quercus
) and
poplar (
Populus
). The larvae are sometimes present on
ornamental plants but damage caused is not of
significance. Fully grown larvae (
c
. 45 mm long) are
distinctly downy, mainly greyish and black above, with
a red crossline just behind the head, but ochreous and
black below. The moths (35-45 mm wingspan) are
mainly brown and rather hairy, the wings marked with
grey and ochreous; males have strongly bipectinate
antennae. Adults fly during the winter, and are most
numerous in November and December.
730
Larva of December moth (
Poecilocampa populi
).
731
731
Male December moth (
Poecilocampa populi
).
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