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).
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]
^Futuyma, D.J. (2013). Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics.
^Heinrich, Bernd (1987). "Thermoregulation by winter-flying endothermic moths". J. Exp. Biol. 127 (`): 313–332. doi:10.1242/jeb.127.1.313.
^Cairn, North (8 December 2012). "Experts: Destructive winter moths are spreading". Portland Press Herald. Portland, Maine. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
^Noonan, Erica (3 December 2009). "Mystery Pests". Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
^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.
^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.
The wintermoth (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...
Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder...
of wingless moths. Often only the females are wingless (larviform females). Luffia lapidella Operophtera fagata, the northern wintermoth Orgyia recens...
The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives...
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and winter it is found in southern Queensland, western New South Wales, western Victoria, and also in South and Western Australia. Adult bogong moths breed...
of the Lepidoptera involves their differentiation into butterflies and moths. Butterflies are a natural monophyletic group, often given the suborder...
Operophtera bruceata, the Bruce spanworm, hunter's moth, or native wintermoth is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by...
as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including wintermoth, walnut sphinx, and Coleophora ostryae. Ostrya has the following species:...
Pyrrharctia isabella, the Isabella tiger moth, whose larval form is called the banded woolly bear, woolly bear, or woolly worm, occurs in the United States...
pomifoliella, Coleophora cerasivorella, Coleophora malivorella, green pug and wintermoth.[citation needed] While quince is a hardy shrub, it may develop fungal...
rubicunda, the rosy maple moth, is a small North American moth in the family Saturniidae, also known as the great silk moths. It was first described by...
such Lepidoptera as brimstone moth, brown-tail, grey dagger, mottled umber, rough prominent, the satellite, wintermoth, and the red-spotted purple and...
species, including autumnal moth, common emerald, feathered thorn, walnut sphinx, Svensson's copper underwing, and wintermoth (recorded on European hornbeam)...
Operophtera fagata, the northern wintermoth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is widespread through much of Europe. This species’ range extends...
larvae of some Lepidoptera species including brown-tail, emperor moth, and wintermoth as well as the bucculatricid leaf-miners Bucculatrix cidarella,...
are hanger-downers, weevil moth, pantry moth, flour moth or grain moth. The almond moth (Cadra cautella) and the raisin moth (Cadra figulilella) are commonly...
It will take the eggs and larvae of butterflies and moths, particularly those of the wintermoth. The chiffchaff has been estimated to require about one-third...
cecropia, the cecropia moth, is North America's largest native moth. It is a member of the family Saturniidae, or giant silk moths. Females have been documented...
groundhog. The forthcoming severity of a winter may be indicated by the amount of black on the Isabella tiger moth's caterpillar—the most familiar woolly...
The cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae) is primarily known as a pest that is responsible for severe crop damage of a wide variety of plant species. The common...
The peppered moth (Biston betularia) is a temperate species of night-flying moth. It is mostly found in the northern hemisphere in places like Asia, Europe...
leatherback sea turtles, lamnid sharks, tuna and billfishes, cicadas, and wintermoths are also endothermic. Unlike mammals and birds, some reptiles, particularly...
parasite of the larva of the wintermoth (Operophtera brumata), and has been used in biological pest control to control this moth, whose larvae feed on foliage...
as the gypsy moth, European gypsy moth, LDD moth, or (in North America) North American gypsy moth or spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family...
trees, so that when the leaves are consumed by the larvae of the host wintermoth, the eggs hatch inside the larvae. The fly is native to Europe and Asia...
The codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is a member of the Lepidopteran family Tortricidae. They are major pests to agricultural crops, mainly fruits such as...
species including grey dagger, mottled umber, short-cloaked moth, wintermoth, and hawthorn moth. The flowers attract bees and butterflies and the fruits...
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