Leopard Moth(Zeuzera pyrina)Latin Name:Zeuzera pyrina,Common Name: Leopard Moth/wood leopard moth
Appearance:Zeuzera pyrina, the leopard moth or wood leopard moth, is the family Cossidae.
Adults of this species have white translucent wings with black or blue-black patches on them and a body that is similar in color, and males are smaller than females.
The adults have white transparent wings with black or blue-black spots and a 45-65 mm wingspan.
The larvae are around 50 mm long, pale yellow, and frequently have a pinkish tint when fully developed, while the eggs are about 1 mm long, oval, and pinkish-orange.
Host plants:
Apple, pear, plum, elm, maple, ash, beech, walnut, oak, chestnut, poplar, and willow. Some host preferences are region-specific.
Territory:
The Wood Leopard Moth is a non-native North American species discovered on the East Coast. It is also in Africa’s north and south.
Damage caused by Leopard Moth:
The collection of frass and wood particles that comes out of the entrance pores indicates the existence of caterpillars. Later, the leaves will wither, and the shoots will die back. Infested branches may perish, and young trees may be destroyed. The larvae prefer to attack trees that are less than 15 years old, and they generally appear on branches or stems with a diameter of less than 10 cm.
Life history and Habits:
The eggs are deposited in wounds or crevices in the bark between June and July. Each female may lay up to 100 eggs in a single batch. The newly emerging larvae begin to dig into the tree and feed. Young larvae may feed on leaf petioles, buds, and shoots, but they eventually move on to bigger twigs and branches to eat. They create lengthy frass-filled tunnels by tunneling up the hardwood. It takes 2 to 3 years to develop a product. In a silken cocoon, the larvae pupate in the feeding galleries. The pupae wriggle out of the gallery to the branch’s surface in early June, and the adults emerge.
