Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
836
837
836
Male black arches moth (
Lymantria monarcha
).
837
Female vapourer moth (
Orgyia antiqua
) depositing eggs
on pupal cocoon.
838
Lymantria monacha
(Linnaeus) (
836
)
Black arches moth
Polyphagous on trees and shrubs, but associated mainly
with conifers such as fir (
Abies
), pine (
Pinus
) and
spruce (
Picea
); often a serious forestry pest. Eurasiatic.
Widespread in mainland Europe; in Britain restricted to
southern England and parts of Wales, and associated
mainly with oak (
Quercus
).
DESCRIPTION
Adult female:
45-50 mm wingspan; body and fore
wings mainly white, irregularly marked with black, the
abdomen tinged with pink; hind wings mainly light
greyish brown.
Adult male:
37-42 mm wingspan;
similarly coloured to female but antennae strongly
bipectinate.
Larva:
up to 35 mm long; dark grey, with
an irregular brownish-black, black-edged dorsal stripe
interrupted by a whitish, black-centred, mark on the
third thoracic segment and by whitish, sometimes red-
centred, patches on the fourth to sixth abdominal
segments; pale hair tufts arise from pinacula along the
dorsal and spiracular lines.
838
Male vapourer moth (
Orgyia antiqua
).
839
LIFE HISTORY
Eggs are laid during the summer on the bark of host
trees, either singly or in pairs, and hatch in the following
spring. Larvae feed on the foliage until June or early
July. They then pupae in silken cocoons spun in bark
crevices, and adults emerge in late July or August.
839
Larvae of vapourer moth (
Orgyia antiqua
).
DAMAGE
Leaf damage is usually insignificant but severe
infestations result in considerable defoliation which
affects the vigour of host trees.
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