Lymantria dispar, Crete - photo © K. Bormpoudaki

Lymantria dispar, Crete - photo © K. Bormpoudaki

Lymantria dispar (Linnaeus, 1758)

MOTH INFO

Lymantria dispar is a moth of the family Erebidae on the island of Crete, Greece.

Scientific name

Lymantria dispar (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms

Phalaena dispar (Linnaeus, 1758)

Porthetria hadina (Butler, 1881)

Porthetria umbrosa (Butler, 1881)

Common name

Spongy Moth

Classification

Superfamily: Noctuoidea > Family: Erebidae > Subfamily:  Lymantriinae > Tribus: Lymantriini > Genus: Lymantria

Wingspan

40-70 mm

Habitat

The moth can be found in deciduous forests, warm forests, orchards, parks, gardens, etc. 

Food plant

The polyphagous larvae live on various deciduous and coniferous trees and can cause severe damage in years of mass reproduction. On the island of Crete, larvae mainly feed on Quercus coccifera. Other foodplants are Fagaceae (Quercus), Rosaceae (Malus, Crataegus), Salicaceae (Salix, Populus), Ulmaceae (Ulmus).

Flight period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
                       
Links

Lepiforum e. V.

Lepidoptera Mundi

Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa

Lepidoptera and their Ecology

Plant Parasites of Europe

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