Pathogenicity of two nucleopolyhedrovirus products, Virin NSh and Gypchek, for Asian and North American gypsy moth larvae

Author

Publication Toolbox

• Download PDF (35 KB)
• This publication is available only online.

• Podgwaite, John
• Martemyanov, Viatcheslav
• Bakhvalov, Stanislav

Year Published

2007

Publication

In: Gottschalk, Kurt W., ed. Proceedings, 17th U.S. Department of Agriculture interagency research forum on gypsy moth and other invasive species 2006; Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-10. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 79.

Abstract

Periodic intrusions of Asian strains of gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L., into North America have occurred over the past several years. Preventative measures in the countries of origin and around ports of entry in North America have lowered the risk of invasion and establishment but the threat remains current. Asian strains have a wider host range than the established North American (European) strain and, unlike North American female moths, Asian females fly.

Keywords

• Asian gypsy moth

Citation

Podgwaite, John; Martemyanov, Viatcheslav; Bakhvalov, Stanislav 2007. Pathogenicity of two nucleopolyhedrovirus products, Virin NSh and Gypchek, for Asian and North American gypsy moth larvae. In: Gottschalk, Kurt W., ed. Proceedings, 17th U.S. Department of Agriculture interagency research forum on gypsy moth and other invasive species 2006; Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-10. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 79.

Last updated on: October 1, 2009

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/2519

Inference of adult female dispersal from the distribution of gypsy moth egg masses in a Japanese city

Author

• Liebhold, A.M.
• Turcani, Marek
• Kamata, Naoto

Year Published

2008

Source

Agricultural and Forest Entomology. 10: 69-73.

Abstract

The native range of the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar (L.) spans the temperate forests of Eurasia. Across this region, a clinal female flight polymorphism exists; gypsy moth females in eastern Asia are mostly capable of directed flight, those in western and southern Europe are largely incapable of flight and populations distributed across the centre of the distribution exhibit a range of intermediate flight behaviours.

Keywords

• Asian gypsy moth
• flight
• Japan
• Lepidoptera
• Lymantria dispar
• Lymantriidae

Citation

Liebhold, A.M.; Turcani, Marek; Kamata, Naoto 2008. Inference of adult female dispersal from the distribution of gypsy moth egg masses in a

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/3290

World distribution of female flight and genetic variation in Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)

Author

• Keena, M.A.
• Cote, M.-J.
• Grinberg, P.S.
• Wallner, W.E.

Year Published

2008

Source

Environmental Entomology. 37(3): 636-649.

Abstract

Female gypsy moths, Lymantria dispar L., from 46 geographic strains were evaluated for flight capability and related traits. Males from 31 of the same strains were evaluated for genetic diversity using two polymorphic cytochrome oxidase I mitochondrial DNA restriction sites, the nuclear FS1 marker, and four microsatellite loci. Females capable of strong directed flight were found in strains that originated from Asia, Siberia, and the northeastern parts of Europe, but flight capability was not fixed in most strains. No flight-capable females were found in strains from the United States or southern and western Europe. Wing size and musculature were shown to correlate with flight capability and potentially could be used in predicting female flight capability. The mtDNA haplotypes broadly separated the gypsy moth strains into three groups: North American, European/Siberian, and Asian. Specific microsatellite or FS1 alleles were only fixed in a few strains, and there was a gradual increase in the frequency of alleles dominant in Asia at both the nuclear and microsatellite loci moving geographically from west to east. When all the genetic marker information was used, 94% of the individuals were accurately assigned to their broad geographic group of origin (North American, European, Siberian, and Asian), but female flight capability could not be predicted accurately. This suggests that gene flow or barriers to it are important in determining the current distribution of flight-capable females and shows the need for added markers when trying to predict female flight capability in introduced populations, especially when a European origin is suspected.

Keywords

• female flight capability
• Lymantria dispar
• gypsy moth
• dispersal
• genetic variation
• asian gypsy moth

Citation

Keena, M.A.; Cote, M.-J.; Grinberg, P.S.; Wallner, W.E. 2008. World distribution of female flight and genetic variation in Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). Environmental Entomology. 37(3): 636-649.

Last updated on: September 30, 2009

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/4628

Hitchikers on international trade routes: estimating the probabilities of introduction and establishment of Asian gypsy moth with GLS-2d

Author

• Gray, David R.

Year Published

2011

Publication

In: McManus, Katherine A; Gottschalk, Kurt W., eds. 2010. Proceedings. 21st U.S. Department of Agriculture interagency research forum on invasive species 2010; 2010 January 12-15; Annapolis, MD. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-75. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 21-22.

Abstract

As global trade rises so too does the probability of introduction of alien species to new locations.

Citation

Gray, David R. 2011. Hitchikers on international trade routes: estimating the probabilities of introduction and establishment of Asian gypsy moth with GLS-2d. In: McManus, Katherine A; Gottschalk, Kurt W., eds. 2010. Proceedings. 21st U.S. Department of Agriculture interagency research forum on invasive species 2010; 2010 January 12-15; Annapolis, MD. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-75. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 21-22.

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/37534

Differences in wing morphometrics of Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) between populations that vary in female flight capability

Author

• Shi, Juan
• Chen, Fang
• Keena, Melody A.

Year Published

2015

Source

Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 108(4): 528-535.

Abstract

All male gypsy moths, Lymantria dispar L., are capable of strong directed flight, but flight in females varies, increasing from west to east geographically across Eurasia. To better understand how the wings differ between female flight capable and flightless strains, a wing morphometric analysis of 821 gypsy moths from eight geographic strains (three Lymantria dispar dispar L., four Lymantria dispar asiatica Vnukovskij, one Lymantria dispar japonica Motschulsky) was performed. Body mass; length and width of both fore- and hindwing; and wing area, aspect, and loads were measured on both sexes from each strain. Gypsy moths were sexually dimorphic; females had a higher wing load, larger aspect ratios, bigger wing area, and heavier body mass than males. Wing loads of females, but not males, differed significantly among geographic strains and were lower in flight capable strains. Wing aspect was less variable within each sex among the strains. Female fore- and hindwing area were both larger in strains with strong directed flight capabilities compared with flightless strains, suggesting both fore- and hindwing areas play significant roles in flight. A logistic regression model using female forewing length and wing load correctly predicted the female flight capability of the source strains >97% of the time and may be a useful tool to use in conjunction with molecular methods for detecting introductions of Asian gypsy moth. None of the male morphometric wing characters were found to reliably predict the female flight capability of the source population.

Keywords

• gypsy moth
• wing morphology
• flight capability
• Erebidae

Citation

Shi, Juan; Chen, Fang; Keena, Melody A. 2015. Differences in wing morphometrics of Lymantria dispar(Lepidoptera: Erebidae) between populations that vary in female flight capability. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 108(4): 528-535.

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/48592

DNA barcoding of gypsy moths from China (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) reveals new haplotypes and divergence patterns within gypsy moth subspecies

• Author 

• Chen, Fang
• Luo, Youqing
• Keena, Melody A.
• Wu, Ying
• Wu, Peng
• Shi, Juan

Year Published

2015

Source

Journal of Economic Entomology. 109(1): 366-374.

Abstract

The gypsy moth from Asia (two subspecies) is considered a greater threat to North America than European gypsy moth, because of a broader host range and females being capable of flight. Variation within and among gypsy moths from China (nine locations), one of the native countries of Asian gypsy moth, were compared using DNA barcode sequences (658 bp of mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 [COI] sequence), together with two restriction site mtDNA markers (NlaIII and BamHI in COI), which is the standard system used to distinguish European gypsy moths from Asian gypsy moths. Relatedness of these populations to gypsy moths from seven other world areas was also examined. The restriction site markers showed that two Chinese populations had both Asian and European haplotypes. DNA barcode sequence divergence between the Asian populations and the European populations was three times greater than the variation within each group. Using Bayesian and parsimonious network analyses, nine previously unknown barcode haplotypes were documented from China and a single haplotype was found to be shared by 55% of the Chinese and some Far Eastern Russian and Japanese individuals. Some gypsy moths from two Chinese populations showed genetic affinity with mtDNA haplotypes from Siberia, Russia, suggesting there could be a cryptic new subspecies in Lymantria dispar (L.) or human-aided movement of moths between these two locations at an earlier point in time. The previously unknown haplotype patterns may complicate efforts to identify Asian gypsy moth introductions and require changes in monitoring and exclusion programs.

Keywords

• gypsy moth
• COI
• NB system
• DNA barcoding
• haplotype

Citation

Chen, Fang; Luo, Youqing; Keena, Melody A.; Wu, Ying; Wu, Peng; Shi, Juan 2015. DNA Barcoding of Gypsy Moths From China (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) Reveals New Haplotypes and Divergence Patterns Within Gypsy Moth Subspecies. Journal of Economic Entomology. 109(1): 366-374.

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/50496

Evaluation of the effects of light entensity and time interval after the start of scotophase on the female flight propensity of Asian gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

Author

• Chen, Fang
• Shi, Juan
• Keena, Melody

Year Published

2016

Source

Environmental Entomology. 45(2): 404-409.

Abstract

Asian gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), females are capable of flight, but little is known about what causes the variation in flight propensity that has been observed. The female flight propensity and capability of Asian gypsy moth from seven geographic populations (three from China, two from Russia, one from Japan, and one from Korea) were compared under all combinations of three light intensities (0.05, 0.10, and 0.40 lux) and during three time intervals after the start of scotophase. A total of 567 females were flight tested. Female flight propensity, time to initiate walking, fanning, and flying, and duration of fanning differed significantly among geographic populations. Females were less likely to voluntarily fly during the 0-1-h time interval after the start of scotophase than during the later time intervals (1-2 and 2-3 h), suggesting that the light intensity cue has to occur at the correct time after the expected start of scotophase for flight initiation. Light intensity did not significantly affect the proportion of females that voluntarily flew, but did impact the timing of the walking and fanning preflight behaviors. The interaction between light intensity and time interval after the start of scotophase had a significant effect on the proportion of females that fanned. The proportion of females with sustained flight capability varied among the populations evaluated. These results may aid in determining the risk of Asian gypsy moth dispersal, but further work is needed to assess other factors that play a role in flight propensity.

Keywords

• Asian gypsy moth
• female flight
• light intensity
• scotophase

Citation

Chen, Fang; Shi, Juan; Keena, Melody. 2016. Evaluation of the effects of light entensity and time interval after the start of scotophase on the female flight propensity of Asian gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Erebidae). Environmental Entomology. 45(2): 404-409.

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/50765

Geographic isolates of Lymantria dispar multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus: Genome sequence analysis and pathogenicity against European and Asian gypsy moth strains

Author 

• Robert L., Harrison
• Rowley, Daniel L.
• Keena, Melody A.

Year Published

2016

Source

Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 137: 10-22. 

Abstract

Isolates of the baculovirus species Lymantria dispar multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus have been formulated and applied to suppress outbreaks of the gypsy moth, L. dispar. To evaluate the genetic diversity in this species at the genomic level, the genomes of three isolates from Massachusetts, USA (LdMNPV-Aba624), Spain (LdMNPV-3054), and Japan (LdMNPV-3041) were sequenced and compared with four previously determined LdMNPV genome sequences. The LdMNPV genome sequences were collinear and contained the same homologous repeats (hrs) and clusters of baculovirus repeat orf (bro) gene family members in the same relative positions in their genomes, although sequence identities in these regions were low. Of 146 non-broORFs annotated in the genome of the representative isolate LdMNPV 5-6, 135 ORFs were found in every other LdMNPV genome, including the 37 core genes of Baculoviridae and other genes conserved in genus Alphabaculovirus. Phylogenetic inference with an alignment of the core gene nucleotide sequences grouped isolates 3041 (Japan) and 2161 (Korea) separately from a cluster containing isolates from Europe, North America, and Russia. To examine phenotypic diversity, bioassays were carried out with a selection of isolates against neonate larvae from three European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) and three Asian gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar asiatica and Lymantria dispar japonica) colonies. LdMNPV isolates 2161 (Korea), 3029 (Russia), and 3041 (Japan) exhibited a greater degree of pathogenicity against all L. dispar strains than LdMNPV from a sample of Gypchek. This study provides additional information on the genetic diversity of LdMNPV isolates and their activity against the Asian gypsy moth, a potential invasive pest of North American trees and forests.

Keywords

• Asian gypsy moth
• Baculovirus
• LdMNPV
• Lymantria dispar
• gypsy moth
• nucleopolyhedrovirus

Citation

Fajvan, M.A., and R.S. Morin. 2016. Monitoring the effects of an invasive insect (Adelges tsugae) on forest decline and landscape-level hydrologic processes. IN: Proceedings of the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Denver, CO September 24-28, 2016. Paper No.310-10. (Abstract) https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2016AM/webprogram/Paper283319.html

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/50839

Forest Disturbance Processes

Asian Gypsy Moth

The main focus of this gypsy moth work is on the type with flight-capable females, generally referred to as the “Asian” gypsy moth because of the origin of the original interceptions.  For regulatory purposes, the United States Department of Agriculture refers to any type/subspecies of Lymantria dispar possessing female flight capability as the Asian gypsy moth.  

The gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) is one of the most serious defoliating forest pests, capable of causing widespread outbreaks in temperate northern hemisphere.  The gypsy moth range in Eurasia is roughly between 60°N and 30°N, but does extend further south (20° N) in the Far East.  Multiple introductions of gypsy moth strains with flight-capable females have occurred from egg masses on ships and cargo entering ports in western North America from Japan and Far East Russian ports, and from pupae on military equipment or trooper belongings entering the east from Germany.  Most introductions have prompted an eradication program, the largest of which occurred in 1992 and 1994.  The biggest concern over these introductions is the presence of flight-capable females in the introduced strains (and possibly in hybrids between them and the existing flightless strain) might increase the potential rate of spread and complicate procedures for detecting and delimiting isolated populations.  In addition, there are other concerns because of the wide variation in behavioral, physiological, and genetic characteristics exhibited by the gypsy moth across its geographic range.  For example, some strains from Asia possess traits that make them more threatening to North American forests than the established Western European strain, including a broader host range, shortened egg chill requirements, and female attraction to lights that results in egg deposition on vehicles or cargo.  Since the mid 1990s, quarantine-based proactive research has been conducted on Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth) from Eurasia.

Our Proactive Research Done Under Quarantine

• Risk, Detection, and Spread 
• Biology and Ecology
• Control and Management
• Effects and Impacts

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/disturbance/invasive_species/asiangm/

Distribution and Inheritance of Female Flight

Research Issue

Female flight capability is the key trait that regulatory agencies are using to determine their response to introductions of gypsy moth from other world areas.  The biggest concern with flight-capable females in the introduced strains (and possibly in hybrids between them and the existing flightless strain) is that they might increase the potential rate of spread and complicate procedures for detecting and delimiting isolated populations.  Since there had been no comprehensive survey of female flight across the gypsy moth’s native range it was uncertain what areas were of concern other than those where female flight was already documented in the literature.  In addition, since the mode of inheritance of female flight was not known we could not predict how much flight would be retained with hybridization.

Our Research

We crossed individuals from a North American population where no females are capable of flight with a Russian population where > 90% of the females are capable of sustained ascending flight.  We characterized female propensity to initiate flight, capability for flight, muscle strength, morphometric wing and body measurements, and pre-flight behaviors in the parental, reciprocal F1 hybrids, reciprocal backcrosses to both parental strains, and double reciprocal F2 hybrids.  Additionally, female and egg mass weights were compared to determine if there was a detectable negative trade-off between flight and fecundity.  We also documented female flight capability and the traits that affect it (wing length, muscle strength, and flight behaviors) for 46 strains of gypsy moth from throughout its range.

Expected Outcomes

Biological basis for predicting female flight capability in hybrids.  Documentation of variation in female flight across the gypsy moth native range.

Research Results

A clinal female flight polymorphism exists in the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L., where female flight diminishes from east to west across Eurasia.  A Russian population where females are capable of sustained ascending flight and a North American population with females incapable of flight were crossed: parentals, reciprocal F1 hybrids, double reciprocal F2 hybrids, and all possible backcrosses to both the parental lines were compared.  Heritability of female flight capability measured using a free flight test was at least 0.60, and variation in wing size, muscle strength, and flight behaviors contributed to the flight polymorphism.  Relative wing size varied continuously and had a heritability of 0.70.  Environmental variation accounted for > 90% of the variation in female pre-flight weight and relative flight muscle strength, as estimated by an inverted female’s ability to right herself.  Pre-flight walking behavior and early deposition of eggs were each inherited through a single gene with two co-dominant alleles.  There was no evidence for sex-linkage or maternal effects in female flight capability or associated traits.  Continued vigilance to exclude and eradicate introductions of strains capable of female flight in North America is warranted even in areas where no females fly, because some of the alleles required for full flight capability may not be present in the North American populations and some flight capability is maintained in the hybrids which could increase the rate of spread of L. dispar.  

Female gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L., from 46 geographic strains were evaluated for flight capability and related traits.  Females capable of strong directed flight were found in strains that originated from Asia, Siberia, and the northeastern parts of Europe, but flight capability was not fixed in most strains.  No flight-capable females were found in strains from the United States or southern and western Europe.  Wing size and musculature were shown to correlate with flight capability and potentially could be used in predicting female flight capability.  Gene flow or barriers to it are important in determining the current distribution of flight-capable females.  Larval food source also was found to affect female flight capability.  Other factors, such as illumination source and intensity, temperature, and pheromone-mediated activity patterns, have been found to affect female flight timing in all three Lymantriid  species.

Melody A. Keena, Marie-Jose Côté, Phyllis S. Grinberg, and William E. Wallner. 2008 World Distribution of Female Flight and DNA Variation in Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae).  Environ. Entomol. 37(3):636-649. 

Keena MA, Grinberg PS, and Wallner WE.  2007. Inheritance of Female Flight in Lymantria dispar(Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae).  Environ. Entomol. 36(2):484-494. 

Keena MA, Wallner WE, Grinberg PS, and Cardé RT.  2001.  Female flight propensity and capability in Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) from Russia, North America, and their reciprocal F1 hybrids.  Envrion. Entomol. 30(2): 380-387. 

Charlton, R.E. , Cardé, R.T. , Wallner, W.E. 1999. Synchronous crepuscular flight of female Asian gypsy moths: Relationships of light intensity and ambient and body temperatures J Insect Behavior, 12(4):517-531.

Cardé, R.T. , Charlton, R.E. , Wallner, W.E. , Baranchikov, Y.N. 1996. Pheromone-mediated diel activity rhythms of male Asian gypsy moths (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) in relation to female eclosion and temperature. Annals Ent. Soc. Am.,89(5):745-753. 

Wallner, W. E., L. M. Humble, R. E. Levin, Y. N. Baranchikov, and R. T. Cardé. 1995. Response of adult lymantriid moths to illumination devices in the Russian Far East. J. Econ. Entomol. 88:337-342.

Research Participants

Principal Investigator

• Melody Keena, USDA Forest Service- Northern Research Station Research Entomologist 
• William Wallner, USDA-Forest Service- NRS Retired Research Entomologist
• Phyllis Grinberg, USDA-Forest Service- NRS Retired 
• Ralph Charlton, Kansas State University
• Ring Cardé, University of California Riverside

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/disturbance/invasive_species/asiangm/biology_ecology/female_flight/