Ailanthus webworm

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Ailanthus webworm
Atteva aurea 25.jpg
Atteva aurea feeding on Vernonia gigantea
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Attevidae
Genus: Atteva
Species:
A. aurea
Binomial name
Atteva aurea
(Fitch, 1856)
Synonyms
  • Deiopeia aureaFitch, 1857
  • Poeciloptera comptaClemens, 1861
  • Oeta aureraStretch, 1873 (misspelling)
  • Oeta compta var. floridanaNeumoegen, 1891
  • Atteva edithellaBusck, 1908
  • Atteva exquisitaBusck, 1912
  • Atteva ergaticaWalsingham, 1914
  • Atteva microstictaWalsingham, 1914

The ailanthus webworm (Atteva aurea) is an ermine moth now found commonly in the United States. [1] [2] It was formerly known under the scientific name Atteva punctella (see Taxonomy section). This small, very colorful moth resembles a true bug or beetle when not in flight, but in flight it resembles a wasp. [3]

Contents

Host plants

The ailanthus webworm is thought to be native to South Florida and the American tropics (south to Costa Rica), which were the habitat of its original larval host plants: the paradise tree ( Simarouba glauca ) and Simarouba amara .

Another tree called tree-of-heaven, ( Ailanthus altissima ), originally from China, has been widely introduced into landscapes and invaded into natural areas where Atteva aurea has been able to adapt to this new host plant, giving rise to its common name.

Ailanthus altissima is considered an invasive species, although it is still sold by nurseries as a yard plant, mainly because it is one of the few species that will grow in highly polluted or otherwise difficult places. Atteva aurea can be a minor pest in nurseries, although it rarely does serious damage.

Ailanthus webworm in Ailanthus altissima tree Ailanthus webworm in Ailanthus altissima tree.jpg
Ailanthus webworm in Ailanthus altissima tree

Climate

This tropical moth is commonly seen in summer throughout the continental US, and occasionally eastern Canada (its northern limit is eastern Ontario and south-western Quebec beyond the host range). This species appears to be either adapting to colder areas, or staying further north due to changing climates. [4]

Life cycle

Larvae produce nests on the host plant by pulling two or more leaflets around a network of loose webbing. Then they consume the leaflets and bark. The caterpillars have a wide, light greenish-brown stripe down their backs and several thin, alternating white and olive-green stripes along their sides. The range of colors is from light brown to dark black. The adult moth visits flowers, is diurnal, and is a pollinator. The life cycle from egg to egg can happen in four weeks. Due to this being a species from warmer areas, it lacks a diapause stage. Larvae can be found from mid-spring to a hard freeze. There may be many generations each summer with eggs being laid on the webs of other larvae. This can result in a communal web that has multiple generations - from eggs to various larva stages to pupae. Mating happens in the mornings with egg-laying apparently happening in the evening. Eggs are found individually, not in clusters, even though each web may contain many separate eggs. [5]

Taxonomy

Wilson et al. (2010) discovered that morphologically similar Attevid moths were assigned two different names, Atteva ergatica in Costa Rica and Atteva punctella in North America, but had identical DNA barcodes. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ailanthus</i> Genus of flowering trees

Ailanthus is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales. The genus is native from east Asia south to northern Australasia. One species, the Tree-of-Heaven is considered a weed in some parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ermine moth</span> Family of moths

The family Yponomeutidae are known as the ermine moths, with several hundred species, most of them in the tropics. The larvae tend to form communal webs, and some are minor pests in agriculture, forestry, and horticulture. Adult moths are minor pollinators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyralidae</span> Family of moths

The Pyralidae, commonly called pyralid moths, snout moths or grass moths, are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths (Crambidae) are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera. The latest review by Eugene G. Munroe and Maria Alma Solis retain the Crambidae as a full family of Pyraloidea.

<i>Ailanthus altissima</i> Deciduous tree in the family Simaroubaceae

Ailanthus altissima, commonly known as tree of heaven, Ailanthus, varnish tree, copal tree, stinking sumac, Chinese sumac, paradise tree, or in Chinese as chouchun, is a deciduous tree in the family Simaroubaceae. It is native to northeast and central China, and Taiwan. Unlike other members of the genus Ailanthus, it is found in temperate climates rather than the tropics.

<i>Atteva</i> Family of moths

Atteva is a genus of moths in the monotypic family Attevidae. The group has a pantropical distribution; however, the range of at least one species, Atteva aurea, extends into the temperate zone. No consistent hypotheses regarding the relationships, placement, and ranking of Attevidae have been published, but the prevalent view is that they likely form a monophyletic group within the Yponomeutoidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fall webworm</span> Species of moth

The fall webworm is a moth in the family Erebidae known principally for its larval stage, which creates the characteristic webbed nests on the tree limbs of a wide variety of hardwoods in the late summer and fall. It is considered a pest but does not harm otherwise healthy trees. It is well known to commercial tree services and arboriculturists. Fall webworms are an invasive species in East Asia.

<i>Samia cynthia</i> Species of moth

Samia cynthia, the ailanthus silkmoth, is a saturniid moth, used to produce silk fabric but not as domesticated as the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The moth has very large wings of 113–125 mm (4.4–4.9 in), with a quarter-moon shaped spot on both the upper and lower wings, whitish and yellow stripes and brown background. There are eyespots on the outer forewings. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urodidae</span> Small family of moths

Urodidae, whose species are commonly known as false burnet moths, is a family of moths in the lepidopteran order. It is the type genus in the superfamily, Urodoidea, with three genera, one of which, Wockia, occurs in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bird-cherry ermine</span> Species of moth

The bird-cherry ermine is a species of moth in the family Yponomeutidae, the ermine moths. The wingspan of the moth ranges from 16 to 25 mm. The insect was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus who gave it the name Phalaena evonymella; it was later transferred to the genus Yponomeuta, becoming Yponomeuta evonymella. The moth can be found in the whole of Europe and the northern and eastern part of Asia.

<i>Yponomeuta plumbella</i> Species of moth

Yponomeuta plumbella is a moth from the family Yponomeutidae, the ermine moths.

<i>Yponomeuta cagnagella</i> Species of moth

Yponomeuta cagnagella, the spindle ermine, is a moth from the family Yponomeutidae, the ermine moths. The wingspan of the moth ranges from 19 to 26 millimetres. The head is white. Forewings are white; four longitudinal series of few black dots, first not reaching middle, second beginning near before middle, lowest including 4-7 dots; some additional black dots before termen; cilia white. Hindwings are dark grey. The larva is pale greyish-yellowish; spots black; head black.

<i>Argyresthia pruniella</i> Species of moth

Argyresthia pruniella, the cherry fruit moth or cherry blossom tineid, is a moth from the family Yponomeutidae, the ermine moths.

<i>Yponomeuta padella</i> Species of moth

Yponomeuta padella is a lepidopteran from the family Yponomeutidae, the ermine moths. It is also known as the cherry ermine

<i>Atteva pustulella</i> Species of moth

Atteva pustulella, also known as polilla cigarrito arlequín or little cigarette harlequin moth, is a moth of the family Attevidae. It is found from Costa Rica, where it meets Atteva aurea, southwards to Uruguay and Argentina. It is also present in the Antilles. There are also several reports from Dominica, Jamaica, Haiti and Martinique.

<i>Atteva hysginiella</i> Species of moth

Atteva hysginiella is a moth of the family Attevidae. It is endemic to the Galapagos Islands.

<i>Atteva zebra</i> Species of moth

Atteva zebra is a moth of the family Attevidae. It is known only from Costa Rica and Panama.

<i>Simarouba amara</i> Species of tree in the family Simaroubaceae

Simarouba amara is a species of tree in the family Simaroubaceae, found in the rainforests and savannahs of South and Central America and the Caribbean. It was first described by Aubl. in French Guiana in 1775 and is one of six species of Simarouba. The tree is evergreen, but produces a new set of leaves once a year. It requires relatively high levels of light to grow and grows rapidly in these conditions, but lives for a relatively short time. In Panama, it flowers during the dry season in February and March, whereas in Costa Rica, where there is no dry season it flowers later, between March and July. As the species is dioecious, the trees are either male or female and only produce male or female flowers. The small yellow flowers are thought to be pollinated by insects, the resulting fruits are dispersed by animals including monkeys, birds and fruit-eating bats and the seeds are also dispersed by leaf cutter ants.

<i>Simarouba</i> Family of shrubs and trees

Simarouba is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Simaroubaceae, native to the neotropics. It has been grouped in the subtribe Simaroubina along with the Simaba and Quassia genera. They have compound leaves, with between 1 and 12 pairs of alternate pinnate leaflets. Their flowers are unisexual, relatively small and arranged in large panicles. Plants are dioecious, bearing only male or female flowers. The individual flowers have between 4 and 6 sepals and petals and between 8 and 12 stamens. The fruit is a carpophore and has up to 5 drupaceous mericarps.

<i>Atteva fabriciella</i> Species of moth

Atteva fabriciella, the Ailanthus webworm moth, is a moth of the family Attevidae. It is found in China, India and Sri Lanka. It is considered one of deadliest plant pest on Ailanthus species.

Atteva niveigutta is a moth of the Attevidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, India (Assam), Thailand and possibly China.

References

  1. "Ailanthus Webworm - blandy". blandy.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  2. "Species Atteva aurea - Ailanthus Webworm Moth - Hodges#2401 - BugGuide.Net". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  3. "Ailanthus Webworm Moth". www.insectidentification.org. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  4. "Ailanthus Webworm Moth Atteva aurea (Cramer, 1781) | Butterflies and Moths of North America". www.butterfliesandmoths.org. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  5. "Bugs in Orange and Black, Part I: An ermine moth, ailanthus webworm, Atteva aurea". Bug of the Week. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  6. "Maryland Biodiversity Project - Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva aurea)". www.marylandbiodiversity.com. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  7. Wilson, John James; Landry, Jean-François; Janzen, Daniel; Hallwachs, Winnie; Nazari, Vazrick; Hajibabaei, Mehrdad; Hebert, Paul (2010). "Identity of the ailanthus webworm moth (Lepidoptera, Yponomeutidae), a complex of two species: evidence from DNA barcoding, morphology and ecology". ZooKeys (46): 41–60. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.46.406 .
  8. Heppner, John B.; Duckworth, W. D. (1983). "Yponomeutidae". In Hodges, Ronald W.; Dominick, T.; Davis, Donald R.; Ferguson, D. C.; Franclemont, J. G.; Munroe, Eugene G.; Powell, Jerry A. (eds.). Check list of the Lepidoptera of America North of México. London: Classey. pp. 26–27.
  9. Covell, C. V. (1984). A field guide to the moths of Eastern North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 1–496.
  10. Heppner, John B. (1984). "Yponomeutidae". In Heppner, John B. (ed.). Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. Checklist, Part I. The Hague: W. Junk. pp. 55–56.
  11. Feinstein, Julie. "The Ailanthus Webworm Moth" . Retrieved 2019-06-01.