Lymantria monacha?

[Douglas.Prasher at usda.gov]

A little clarification is in order.  

Lymantria monacha (nun moth) is not known to be present within the U.S.  The moth Joe Kunkel refers to along the Maine coast is the Browntail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea).

L. monacha is considered to be an exotic pest because it could potentially devastate forests if introduced into this country.  It is commonly found in Siberian forests so it posses its greatest threat to the forests in the Pacific northwest.  There is lots of freighter traffic between the Russian far-east and our west coast.

Douglas Prasher
APHIS, PPQ





owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu on 07/19/98 05:56:06 PM
To:	jkullber at cc.helsinki.fi@i at gw
cc:	leps-l at lists.yale.edu@i at gw 
Subject:	Re: Lymantria monacha?

_Lymantria monacha_, The Nun Moth, is found on islands off the coast of
Maine as well as other locations I can not quote at the moment.  It has
larval hairs, I am told, that are very irritating and creates severe
rashes in people who encounter them.  It is an introduced species like
its relative _Lymantria dispar_, the gypsy moth.  Both species are not
particularly welcome in the Americas.  I am not sure whether the nun
moth is as big an economic problem as the gypsy moth but its allergic
significance it supposedly worse.
Joe

Jaakko B Kullberg wrote:
> 
> Matti Jantunen <jantsa at sci.fi> wrote:
> : If someone can tell me more news from Lymantria monacha's situation today in America, please
> : do so.
> : (I'am pretty sure that it is a only spiece which people have wanted to exterminate from America).
> 

-- 
______________________________
Joe Kunkel, Professor
Biology Department, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
joe at bio.umass.edu  http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/kunkel/