nun moth

 Insects: Foliage Feeding Insects
Hexapoda (including Insecta) > Lepidoptera > Lymantriidae > Lymantria monacha (Linnaeus)
Synonym(s): black arches, black-arched tussock
Nun moth is a native of Europe. It is not known to be established in North America. Egg masses on crates, pallets of other packing materials are the most likely route of entry. Hosts include Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Norway spruce (Picea abies); however, the majority of conifers and broad-leaved tree species may also be hosts. Mated females deposit eggs in bark crevices under scales or lichens. The round eggs have a diameter of about 1/16 of an inch and are grayish brown. In late April or early May (at a temperature of about 50 – 60 °F) young caterpillars hatch, climb to the crown, and feed on young needles and male flowers. The newly hatched caterpillars are 1/8 of an inch long and have long hair that disappears after the first molt. Caterpillars molt 5-6 times. After the third molt, caterpillars gain their characteristic color. Caterpillars, characteristically, have a grayish-yellow head with black and brown spots, and bodies dark with light spots on the third, seventh, and eighth segments. There are tufts of hair of various lengths on the sides of the body. One caterpillar can damage about 300 Scots pine needles or 1,000 Norway spruce needles during its development. If a spruce tree is defoliated more than 50% it usually dies, however the Scots pine is more resistant than most conifer species. Pupae are 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long. They change from green to dark brown/metallic black and develop tufts of white hair. Adults emerge and swarm from July through August and sometimes into mid- September. During the day the moths usually stay on lower parts of tree trunks, and at night males fly up to a third of a mile to find females. Females are 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long with a 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 inch wingspan, and males are about 1/2 of an inch long with a 1 1/3 to 1 3/4 inch wingspan. Female antennae are thread-like, while male antennae are comb-shaped. The forewings of both sexes are white with wavy, dark bands. The hindwings are brownish-gray. However, color varies from white to dark forms.

128 records

 

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Image Descriptor Description Photographer
1194078 Adult(s) male DAFF Archive
1194082 Adult(s) female DAFF Archive
1220038 Adult(s) black morph male Hannes Lemme
1220039 Adult(s) male Hannes Lemme
1220040 Adult(s) female Hannes Lemme
1258011 Adult(s) Female Stanislaw Kinelski
1258017 Adult(s) Front view of male Stanislaw Kinelski
1258018 Adult(s) Male Stanislaw Kinelski
1259112 Adult(s) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259125 Adult(s) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1260001 Adult(s) Female and male (black morph) Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260002 Adult(s) Female Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260003 Adult(s) Female (upper) and male (black morph) Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260005 Adult(s) Male, black morph Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260008 Adult(s) Male adults, note the different eye sizes for the nun moth (left) and the gypsy moth (right). The small size of the nun moth is probably the result of crowding during the outbreak. Female over egg mass. Empty pupae of nun moth and two empty pupae of gypsy moth, below, right of female. Surface of nun moth pupae is shiny with white-yellow long bristles. This was a pine stand with some birch during a nun moth outbreak Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260014 Adult(s) Dead adults of nun moth and gypsy moth Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260019 Adult(s) Male. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260020 Adult(s) Female, dark morph. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260021 Adult(s) Male, grey morph. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260022 Adult(s) Male, black morph. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260023 Adult(s) Female Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260024 Adult(s) Female Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260034 Adult(s) Female, pale or light morph. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
2112085 Adult(s) male; 1994 Petr Kapitola
2112086 Adult(s) female; 1994 Petr Kapitola
2112087 Adult(s) female; August 1996 Petr Kapitola
1329040 Adult(s) Asiago, Italy 10 August 1988 Andrea Battisti
2515024 Adult(s) Louis-Michel Nageleisen
5371154 Adult(s) Gyorgy Csoka
1260027 Biological Control Hemiptera adult feeding on adult female, usually weakened females after egg laying are attacked. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260029 Biological Control Male being attacked by spider. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260030 Biological Control Hemiptera adult feeding on female adult. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1259110 Control Helicopter-mounted sprayer Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259111 Control Helicopter-mounted sprayer Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259120 Damage Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259126 Damage Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259117 Damage Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259109 Damage Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1258213 Damage Stanislaw Kinelski
1259096 Damage Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259097 Damage defoliation Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259098 Damage Defoliation Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1258014 Damage Stanislaw Kinelski
1259100 Damage Defoliation Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259105 Damage Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
0017005 Damage

defoliation

 William M. Ciesla
0017006 Damage

defoliation to understory

 William M. Ciesla
0534086 Damage Petr Kapitola
1191018 Damage to needles Petr Kapitola
1191019 Damage heavy defoliation, 1996 Jan Liska
1191020 Damage total defoliation, 1994 Jan Liska
1260045 Damage Totally defoliated tree. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260046 Damage Heavy defoliation. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260047 Damage Heavy defoliation. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260048 Damage Upper part of varying defoliated trees. Left tree: this year's needles are not attacked, total loss of last year's needles. Two central trees: total loss of last year's needles, lower branches of this year's needles are removed. Right tree: total loss of all needles. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260049 Damage Upper part of varying defoliated trees. Left tree: only this year's needles on the tip of this year's shoot are not attacked. Total loss of last year's needles. Right tree: all of this year's needles and older needles in upper part of tree are not eaten. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1269029 Damage Infested stand. Switzerland Beat Forster
1269030 Damage European larch and Norway spruce stand damage. Switzerland Beat Forster
2133073 Damage Pinus stand 2 year after a strong foliation with death trees, some trees with a flaked defoliation are still in critical status Hannes Lemme
2133074 Damage Pinus stand 2 year after a strong foliation with death trees, some trees with a flaked defoliation are still in critical status Hannes Lemme
2133075 Damage Pinus stand 2 year after a strong foliation with death trees, some trees with a flaked defoliation are still in critical status Hannes Lemme
2133076 Damage Pinus tree with a flaked foliation Hannes Lemme
2133077 Damage Pinus trees 2006, two years after a strong defolation 2004, see image 1260048 with these defoliated trees 2004 Hannes Lemme
2133084 Damage defoliation pattern of Pinus sylvestris after the second year of a Nun Moth outbreak; in the second year new year needles are not attacked, in contrast to the older needles, hole crown of tree A Hannes Lemme
2133085 Damage defoliation pattern of Pinus sylvestris after the second year of a Nun Moth outbreak; in the second year new year needles are not attacked, in contrast to the older needles, detail of tree A Hannes Lemme
2133086 Damage defoliation pattern of Pinus sylvestris after the second year of a Nun Moth outbreak; in the second year new year needles are not attacked, in contrast to the older needles, hole crown of tree B Hannes Lemme
2133087 Damage defoliation pattern of Pinus sylvestris after the second year of a Nun Moth outbreak; in the second year new year needles are not attacked, in contrast to the older needles, detail of tree B Hannes Lemme
2133088 Damage defoliation pattern of Pinus sylvestris after the second year of a Nun Moth outbreak; in the second year new year needles are not attacked, in contrast to the older needles, hole crown of tree C Hannes Lemme
2133089 Damage defoliation pattern of Pinus sylvestris after the second year of a Nun Moth outbreak; in the second year new year needles are not attacked, in contrast to the older needles, detail of tree C Hannes Lemme
2133090 Damage defoliation pattern of Pinus sylvestris after the second year of a Nun Moth outbreak; in the second year new year needles are not attacked, in contrast to the older needles, hole crown of tree D Hannes Lemme
2133091 Damage defoliation pattern of Pinus sylvestris after the second year of a Nun Moth outbreak; in the second year new year needles are not attacked, in contrast to the older needles, detail of tree D Hannes Lemme
1292027 Diagram or Graphic Adults Robert Dzwonkowski
2515027 Egg(s) Daniel Adam
0017003 Egg(s)

egg mass

 William M. Ciesla
1258009 Egg(s) Stanislaw Kinelski
1259103 Egg(s) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259116 Egg(s) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1260011 Egg(s) Eggs under bark scales. First layer of bark removed. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260012 Egg(s) Eggs under bark scales. First layer of bark removed. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1259122 Feature(s) Frass Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259123 Feature(s) Frass Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259135 Feature(s) Redevelopment of leaves following defoliation Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259136 Larva(e) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1260028 Larva(e) Hannes Lemme
1260031 Larva(e) Starved larva during outbreak. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260032 Larva(e) Fifth stage. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260033 Larva(e) Fifth stage. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1329039 Larva(e) Female. Asiago, Italy 14 July 1995 Andrea Battisti
2515023 Larva(e) Daniel Adam
2515025 Larva(e) young caterpillar Louis-Michel Nageleisen
2112082 Larva(e) first instar caterpillar; 1996 Petr Kapitola
2112083 Larva(e) caterpillar ; 1996 Petr Kapitola
2112084 Larva(e) caterpillar ; 1996 Petr Kapitola
1259124 Larva(e) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259132 Larva(e) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259128 Larva(e) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259129 Larva(e) Feeding on needle Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259130 Larva(e) Feeding on needle Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1260025 Larva(e) Starved larva during outbreak. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1260026 Larva(e) Starved and probably virus infected larva during outbreak. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1259104 Larva(e) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259106 Larva(e) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259101 Larva(e) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259102 Larva(e) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1258015 Larva(e) Stanislaw Kinelski
1258016 Larva(e) Mass of neonate larvae Stanislaw Kinelski
1258012 Larva(e) Dorsal view Stanislaw Kinelski
1258013 Larva(e) Young larva feeding Stanislaw Kinelski
1220036 Larva(e) Hannes Lemme
1220037 Larva(e) Hannes Lemme
0017004 Larva(e)

newly hatched larvae on pine bark

 William M. Ciesla
0534094 Larva(e) Petr Kapitola
1191017 Larva(e) feeding spruce needles Petr Kapitola
1258010 Pupa(e) Exuvia Stanislaw Kinelski
1220032 Pupa(e) Hannes Lemme
1220033 Pupa(e) Hannes Lemme
1220034 Pupa(e) Hannes Lemme
1220035 Pupa(e) Hannes Lemme
1260013 Pupa(e) Empty pupae of nun moth and gypsy moth. The nun moth with a gleam pupae surface and white-yellow bristles. The gypsy moth with dull surface and dark-yellow bristles. Sachsen, Germany Hannes Lemme
1259118 Pupa(e) Pupal chamber Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259119 Pupa(e) Pupal chamber Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
2515026 Pupa(e) Daniel Adam
2112081 Pupa(e) pupal exuviae Petr Kapitola
1259131 Survey Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259099 Survey Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1259108 Trap(s) Landesforstpräsidium Sachsen Archive
1399009 Trap(s) pheromone trap for population monitoring Manfred Mielke
1399010 Trap(s) pheromone trap for population monitoring Manfred Mielke


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