Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Apr 24;11(4):260.
doi: 10.3390/insects11040260.

Comparison of Survival and Development of Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) Populations from Different Geographic Areas on North American Conifers

Melody A Keena  1 , Jessica Y Richards  1
Affiliations

Comparison of Survival and Development of Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) Populations from Different Geographic Areas on North American Conifers

Melody A Keena et al. Insects. .

Abstract

Host utilization information is critical to managers for estimating the hosts at risk and potential geographic range for gypsy moths from different geographic origins. In this study, the development and survival of gypsy moths from all three subspecies on 13 North American conifers and three broadleaf hosts were compared. There was variation in the ability of gypsy moth larvae from different geographic origins to utilize (survive and develop on) key North American conifers. However, that variation was not consistent within gypsy moth subspecies, but instead was more consistent with populations from different origins being preadapted to utilize different hosts and having different biologic traits. Some Asian populations developed and survived well on some conifers while populations from Europe and North America gained weight faster and/or survived better than some Asian populations. Although development was slower and survival poorer on several of the conifers, first instar larvae were able to utilize conifers unless the needles were tough or feeding deterrents were present. Host phenology was also critical since the early instars fed preferentially on new foliage or buds. Gypsy moth larvae can utilize many hosts, so this makes it a very adaptable invasive species that warrants taking measures to prevent its spread.

Keywords: Lymantria dispar; conifers; development; gypsy moth; host utilization; survival.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The proportion of the surviving larvae in each instar from six geographic populations on the foliage of 14 different host species. Host information is given in Table 2.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean (± standard error [SE]) pupal weights (g and bars) and time to pupation (d and dots) by sex for individuals from different source populations on each host. Top graph males and bottom graph females.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean (± SE) fecundity (bars) and percentage hatch of embryonated eggs (dots) for individuals from different source populations on each host. Number of females for each host and population combination are given in the bars.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Endara M.J., Coley P.D., Ghabash G., Nicholls J.A., Dexter K.G., Donoso D.A., Stone G.N., Pennington R.T., Kursar T.A. Coevolutionary arms race versus host defense chase in a tropical herbivore-plant system. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2017;114:E7499–E7505. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1707727114. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Seebacher F., White C.R., Franklin C.E. Physiological plasticity increases resilience of ectothermic animals to climate change. Nat. Clim. Chang. 2015;5:61–66. doi: 10.1038/nclimate2457. - DOI
    1. Matsuki M., Kay N., Serin J., Scott J.K. Variation in the ability of larvae of phytophagous insects to develop on evolutionarily unfamiliar plants: A study with gypsy moth Lymantria dispar and Eucalyptus. Agric. For. Entomol. 2011;13:1–13. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-9563.2010.00492.x. - DOI
    1. Lechowicz M.J., Mauffette Y. Host preference of the gypsy moth in eastern North America versus European forests. Rev. D Entomol. Du Que. 1986;31:43–51.
    1. Keena M.A., Cote M.J., Grinberg P.S., Wallner W.E. World distribution of female flight and genetic variation in Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Environ. Entomol. 2008;37:636–649. doi: 10.1603/0046-225X(2008)37[636:WDOFFA]2.0.CO;2. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources