Skip to main content

Gypsy Moth

Lymantria dispar
The story of the Gypsy Moth is quite the opposite from most of the conservation stories that I write about. Because, you see, we want to get rid of them rather than protect them.

Around 1868, an amateur entomologist from Boston named E. Leopold Trouvelot imported some Gypsy Moth larvae from France. His goal was to create a silk worm hybrid that was less susceptible to disease, but the insects got out, beginning a nearly 150 year effort to control one of North America's most dangerous invasive species.

So why are Gypsy Moths so bad? Afterall, they lived in Europe and Asia forever and didn't cause problems! Well you see, in their native lands Gypsy Moths live in balanced environments were the tree types and predatory species keep them from causing massive amounts of damage. In North America the Moths go after hard wood trees like oak and aspen, causing extensive defoliation, over a million acres a year! They affect literally hundreds of different plant species, which in turn can destroy the natural ecosystems.

In the past 100 years about 20 different animal species have been introduced that assist in controlling the Gypsy Moth populations, including the Metallic Green Ground Beetle, and the European Starling. Native predators like small mammals and other birds also help to control the Moths, but unfortunately, they are not enough. Insecticides and diseases have also helped, but overall the population continues to spread, though some isolated groups have been successfully eradicated.
IUCN Status :  Not Listed
Location : Originally found in Europe and Asia, now invasive to North America
Size : Wing length 25-35mm
Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Lymantriidae -- Genus : Lymantria -- Species : L. dispar
Labels:

Comments

  1. Emma SpringfieldMay 1, 2011 at 3:32 PM

    All I know is that they are a pain in the neck. Some nights there are so many fluttering around the outdoor lights. A few less of them would certainly be nice.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Burmese Peacock

Polyplectron bicalcaratum Burmese Peacocks are also referred to as Grey Peacock-Pheasants, which is probably a more apt name, as they are not actually Peacocks... though they do belong to the same family. At any rate, they share some physical resemblances to Peacocks- most notably the eyes on their tail feathers. Burmese Peacocks are the national birds of Myanmar, which was called Burma until 1989, though some still refer to it as such. The birds live in several other Southeast Asian countries as well, and are divided into four subspecies. The species as a whole is listed as being of Least Concern , because they have a large range and population size. It unfortunately appears that they may be declining in number, but it is a slow descent that does not yet meet the vulnerability thresholds. The birds are listed under CITES Appendix II, because they can be kept in captivity and grabbing individuals from the wild could become problematic for the species. IUCN Stat...
3 comments
Read more

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more