Winter moth

In North America, "winter moth" usually denotes the invasive species Operophtera brumata, but may also refer to a native species, Erannis tiliaria (linden looper) or Operophtera bruceata (bruce spanworm).

Winter moth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Operophtera
Species:
O. brumata
Binomial name
Operophtera brumata
Synonyms

Cheimatobia brumata L.[1]
Chimatobia brumata[2]
Phalaena brumata L.[1]

The winter moth (Operophtera brumata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is an abundant species in Europe and the Near East and a famous study organism for evaluating insect population dynamics.[3] It is one of very few lepidopterans of temperate regions in which adults are active in late autumn and early winter. The adults use endothermy for movement in these cold temperatures.[4] The females of this species are virtually wingless and cannot fly, but the males are fully winged and fly strongly. After the initial frosts of late fall, the females emerge from their pupae, walk to and up trees and emit pheromones in the evening to attract males. After fertilization, they ascend to lay, on average, around 100 eggs each. Typically, the larger the female moth is, the more eggs she lays.

The winter moth is considered an invasive species in North America. Nova Scotia, Canada, experienced the first confirmed infestations in the 1930s. It was later accidentally introduced to Oregon in the 1950s and the Vancouver area of British Columbia around 1970. Defoliation by the moth was first noted in eastern states of the United States in the late 1990s, and is now well established in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine. The winter moth is confirmed present in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.[5] In Massachusetts, the moths have attracted the attention of several media outlets due to the severity of the infestation.[6] Efforts at biological control are underway.[7][8]

  1. ^ a b "Operophtera brumata (winter moth)". CABI Invasive species compendium. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  2. ^ "Chimatobia". Nomenclator Zoologicus. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  3. ^ Futuyma, D.J. (2013). Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics.
  4. ^ Heinrich, Bernd (1987). "Thermoregulation by winter-flying endothermic moths". J. Exp. Biol. 127 (`): 313–332. doi:10.1242/jeb.127.1.313.
  5. ^ Cairn, North (8 December 2012). "Experts: Destructive winter moths are spreading". Portland Press Herald. Portland, Maine. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  6. ^ Noonan, Erica (3 December 2009). "Mystery Pests". Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  7. ^ Elkinton, Joseph; Boettner, George; Liebhold, Andrew; Gwiazdowski, Rodger. "Biology, Spread, and Biological Control of Winter Moth in the Eastern United States" (PDF). USDA Forest Service. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  8. ^ Winter Moth in Massachusetts: History and Biological Control University of Massachusetts Extension, The Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (2017). Accessed Dec 6, 2017.