Stats

Lifespan: About 1 year
Size: Medium
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Nocturnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: Eurasia
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Spines
Status: Common

About

The spongy moth is one of North America's most destructive invasive insects — a single caterpillar can consume a square foot of leaf tissue per day, and outbreak populations have defoliated over 13 million acres of forest in a single year. Introduced to Massachusetts in 1869, it now spreads via egg masses hidden on vehicles and outdoor gear.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2.
caterpillar
A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3.
cocoon
A silk cocoon spun in leaf litter or soil while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4.
moth
A winged adult with feathery antennae and scaled wings, most active after dark.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Erebidae
Genus: Lymantria
Species: Lymantria dispar